I see the glass half full, they see the glass half empty: Chei waaye!
You would think Eduardo was addressing a different gathering from the
one reported on by The Point. No wonder it took them close to two
weeks to come up with their version of what the good journalist
Eduardo said -:)!
I didn't see any direct quotations- hmmm that tells of som'n smelly
about his one here estorey.
=================


The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Gambia: 'The Role of Journalists is to Point Out Issues in Society And
Not to Address Them'

Bekai Njie and Amadou Jallow

26 July 2011

Dr Eduardo Cue, a US journalist based in France has indicated that the
role of a journalist is to point out what is wrong in a society and
identify them for the authorities concerned to intervene and make them
right.

Dr Cue, who has 35 years experience in journalism and has been to 29
African countries as a professional journalist. He was speaking at a
press conference at the beginning of a two-week intensive training for
journalists by the US embassy at the American Corner at Comium
Building, along Kairaba Avenue. The training brought together
journalists from both print and electronic media outlets across the
country.

The US journalist, who was speaking on the topic 'The role of
journalists in democracy', arrived in the country at the invitation of
the US embassy as instructor at the said training. He dwelled on the
significant roles needed to be played by journalists in the execution
of their duties. He explained that the journalists need to do as much
as possible to maintain what he called the power of balance, meaning a
journalist need to have the ability in his/her work to differentiate
what is true from what is not true.

While highlighting the problems facing the Western media particularly
in the United States, Dr Cue indicated that journalists are now
becoming obsessed with entertainment, talking about issues that have
no relevance and ignoring the important issues of the past. He further
acknowledged that the Western media are mainly controlled by their
owners and not by their governments, and that their main aim is only
to make a lot of money, thus using their power against public
information. He added that every single major television is owned by
public corporation in the United States including CNN.

Commenting on the importance of being independent minded in
journalism, Dr Cue said one of the good qualities of a journalist is
to be intellectually honest, so as to contribute meaningfully to a
democratic state. He added that the role of the press is not to sing
the song of anyone but to try as much as possible to speak the truth
and make a partial truth that allows us construct the truth.

According to him, the availability of an advanced high-technology, has
created an opportunity for everyone now to claim to become a
journalist, citing those self-proclaimed individuals who fail to
recognize the tedious work involved in the process of constructing a
news article. Dr Cue went on to explain that the key function of a
journalist is to give people the required information of divergent
truth for them to make decisions and also to create a forum for public
discussion. He therefore acknowledged the fact that journalism is a
noble profession that requires tremendous sacrifice and high risk.

Ethics of journalism

While speaking on the ethics of journalism, the US journalist who had
once worked for CNN, indicated that ethics are very relevant and
require so many characters for a responsible journalist. These
characters, he said, include: honesty, integrity, fairness, respect
and care for others, among others. He said it is an obligation to
protect the role of the press in the society, the image of the press,
protect the public by giving fair and balance reports and increase the
professional character of journalists, as well as protecting them from
violating moral values and culture.

He concluded by saying that ethics could serve as good guidelines for
young journalists; thus help in building a nation of democracy.

Copyright © 2011 The Daily Observer. All rights reserved. Distributed
by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

	


-- 
-Laye
==============================
"With fair speech thou might have thy will,
With it thou might thy self spoil."
--The R.M

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