More than ever before, there is a need for journalists and broadcasters to abide by the ethics of their profession and be very professional in the practice of the profession.
At a time when just anyone who can disseminate information on various media platforms claims to be a journalist, it is necessary for professional journalists to distinguish themselves by being a model of what is required to be a journalist.
The practice of some journalists and broadcasters has recently generated controversy about what is professionally right or wrong.
There are those who argue for example that a television show interviewer can adopt whatever style suits him or her, no matter how controversial, to get responses from guests.
Others insist that while a journalist should be free to hold public officials and others accountable by asking tough questions, it should be done with decorum that doesn’t make the interviewer unnecessarily combative.
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There is also a high rate of false information being published and amplified on both new media platforms and traditional organizations.
Our position on the above issues is that journalists and broadcasters should strictly be guided by professional standards and codes and anyone who violates them should be called to order or penalised.
We are aware that many journalists have not read the code of ethics of the profession which should be the basis of their practice.
Media managers should include copies of the codes as part of the employment documents which should be signed by new staff.
Media organizations should also ensure that they are not partisan in their reporting and analysis, notwithstanding their ownership structure to earn the trust of the audience.
They should also adopt social media guidelines for their staff to prevent the present situation where journalists engage in unrestrained online commentary on political and other issues of national interest.
There should also be an internal ombudsman process for reviewing content and performance to guide against any professional misdemeanour in addition to the enforcement of the co-regulation enforcement of ethics by the recently constituted National Media Complaints Commission.