MEDIA ETHICS: A Call to Responsible Journalism (original) (raw)
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Ecquid Novi - African Journalism Studies: The quest for media ethics: an introduction
This Ecquid Novi is the first issue in the 'new South Africa'. Therefore, it was thought worthwhile to focus on media ethics. The previous special edition of Ecquid Novi (1989) dealt with press freedom in South Africa - or rather the lack thereof. Five years later the country has its first fully democratically elected government; media restrictions imposed under the Emergency Regulations of the mid-1980s have been removed, and media deregulation has become a reality. The question of media ethics, however, has stayed on the back burner. This article explores some of the basic tenets and questions in media ethics that might become part of a public agenda on the topic of responsible media policies and decision making.
Rethinking Media Ownership and Democratic Governance in Malawi from 2002 to 2012
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Media ownership has often been assumed to have a profound impact on news content with regard to the consolidation of democracy and good governance, particularly in developing countries. This may not always be the case as evidenced in Malawi with the case of the Weekend Nation newspaper between 2002 and 2012. The newspaper was established by Malawi's political elite in the advent of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa in the early 1990s to promote democracy and good governance. Between 2002-2012, Malawi was governed by three Presidents representing three different political parties and they all expressed distaste towards the Weekend Nation newspaper. During this period, it was found out that its political ownership had no direct bearing on the journalists' political role to enhance democracy and good governance in Malawi. This calls for a rethink of the conventional view of the critical political economy of the media perspective which asserts that the news media's role in democracy is influenced by those with political power or wealth. With specific reference to the Weekend Nation in Malawi, the news media are critical players in shaping and strengthening of the principles of democracy and good governance.
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2015
This study investigated the political role of the Weekend Nation newspaper in the democratisation of Malawi between 2002 and 2012 within the context of its foundational and ownership structures by a politician. Bearing in mind that the newspaper was founded by a politician belonging to the first democratically elected ruling party, the United Democratic Front (UDF), this research sought to examine the impact of media ownership on the political role of the Weekend Nation's journalistic practices in Malawi's democratisation. Between 2002 and 2012, Malawi was governed by three presidents-Bakili Muluzi of the UDF from 1994 to 2004, Bingu wa Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from 2004 to 2012, and Joyce Banda of the People's Party (PP) from 2012 to 2014-all of whom were hostile to the Weekend Nation. Taking into cognisance the ownership of the Weekend Nation by a politician, the critical political economy theory of the media was deemed to be the most appropriate theoretical framework for this study. In media research, the critical political economy theory asserts that owners are able to regulate the output of the media institution either by intervening in the day-today operations, or by establishing general goals and understandings and appointing managerial and editorial staff to implement them within the constraints set by the overall allocation of resources. The study employed a qualitative research methodology, in particular in-depth interviews and qualitative content analysis. Research findings indicate that overall, the political ownership of the newspaper had no direct bearing on the journalists' political role in the enhancement of democracy and good governance in Malawi. It established that despite the ownership of the Weekend Nation belonging to a prominent and influential politician, the editorial independence was not compromised. Contrary to general expectations, this study established that the Weekend Nation in Malawi, was critical to the political elite in an indiscriminate manner. Although it was not the focus of this study, the research also showed that market forces, in line with the stance taken by the critical political economy theory, had some impact on the Weekend Nation's editorial independence. The quest for more advertising revenue, to an extent, undermined the struggle for complete editorial independence. I give thanks to God Almighty, all the angels and saints for the grace and enrichment in my career. Words fail me to express sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Simphiwe Sesanti, whose scholarly guidance, motivation and leadership enabled me to travel through the academic journey with a vision. I also wish to thank most sincerely Professor Lizette Rabe and Dr. Gabriël Botma of the Stellenbosch University's Journalism Department, from whose insights I benefited greatly. I would also like to thank Mrs. Elizabeth Newman and Mrs. Lijuan Daniels who made my stay in the department very pleasant. For Elizabeth in particular, I am also grateful for the consolidation of our spiritual beliefs through the Stellenbosch Roman Catholic Parish, which was an important aspect during my research and beyond. My research would not have been possible without the financial support of the University of Stellenbosch's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' Graduate School which awarded me a full-time scholarship to pursue my dream and for that I am greatly indebted. I also thank the University of Malawi's Chancellor College for the gesture of a fully-paid leave throughout my studies. A special thanks to the Nation Publications Limited (NPL) management: CEO Mbumba Achuthan, Deputy CEO Alfred Mtonga, and former Managing Editor, late Edward Chitsulo for granting me access to their organisation, including all the former and present Weekend Nation journalists who took part in this study. The NPL library team was marvellous during the months I and my research assistant, Francis "Fra" Xavier Mpanga, spent there. "Fra", your contribution deserves special recognition. For staff of the Society of Malawi library in Blantyre, Chancellor College library and the National Archives in Zomba, Malawi, I express my sincere thanks for your support. I am also grateful to the Stellenbosch Journalism departmental colleagues in research, Adrian Stewart, Mphatisi Ndhlovu, Sibongile Mpofu, Irene Wamae, Marenet Jordaan and Nabila Hatimy as well as John Bosco Isunju from the Faculty of Science for their friendship and scholarly support. Finally, my profound gratitude goes to my family, specifically my mother for her tireless motherly and grandmotherly love and care. I also thank my wife Prisca, my children Sipho and Brianna who had to endure three years of my absence, my siblings Mwayi, Mtisunge, Chikondi, Khuma and Mwatitha as well as the Gunde and Mpanga clans for their moral support and words of encouragement in the course of my studies.
Ubuntuism as a Foundation of Media Ethics in Zimbabwe? Journalists’ Perspectives and Discontents
Communicatio, 2020
There are debates on the relevance of Eurocentric normative frameworks for studying the media in post-colonial Africa. Emerging from these debates is a rebuttal of the dominant Western-derived paradigms for the conceptualisation of journalistic norms, values and practices. Given that the dominant Western liberal models for normative media ethics are incongruent to the needs of Africa, there is a growing call to reconceptualise media ethics anchored upon alternative epistemologies and moral foundations such as ubuntuism. Although there is existing scholarship on ubuntuism as a framework for media ethics in Africa, none of these studies has focused particularly on Zimbabwe. Using the 16 August 2019 (hereafter August 16) protests as a photojournalistic "moment" as a frame, this article explores the views and perspectives of Zimbabwean journalists on their understanding of media ethics and professionalism. Further, it probes the possibilities of ubuntuism as a moral foundation of journalistic practice in the country. Journalists' views are diverse and contested on the nature and practice of media ethics in the country. Although ubuntuism is touted as a normative framework for media ethics, the Western liberal perspectives remain dominant. As such, post-colonial theory offers a useful approach to understanding the interconnections, contradictions and tensions underpinning media ethics in post-colonial Zimbabwe.