Responsible journalism versus irresponsible journalism
Written by DO
Thursday, 05 January 2006
Communication is a two-way process and the elements become comprehensible
when the audience receive a positive feedback of the message.

Thus, in the event of a misunderstanding between members of the same
fraternity, there is a need to broaden the contents within the parameters
of the message for better flow of information.
Our editorial on journalists and the rule of law was indeed a call on
journalists to realise that this noble profession can only be protected if
we carry out our professional activities with a high sense of
responsibility. Thus, when President Jammeh urged African journalists to
“open their minds to a sense of duty and responsibility”, he hit the right
note as we have witnessed the growing phenomenon of irresponsible
journalism at the national front.

Irresponsible journalism may be defined as the  practice among journalists
to write purely for sensationalism and, at times, instigate readers.
Irresponsible journalism also includes journalists and media houses that
profess to be independent, truthful and supportive of freedom and
democracy,  yet these are the very journalists or newspaper houses which
blatantly take political positions that make them appear as mouthpieces of
various opposition parties.  In fact, irresponsible journalism includes
the practice wherein a newspaper or media houses see themselves as
unofficial opposition political institutions. This growing feature of
newspaper journalism is what cannot be described as responsible
journalism.

Irresponsible journalism includes a situation where a journalist plucks
out a name from thin air and proclaims that individual as “the man of the
year”, just because the individual won a legal case against the state,  a
proclamation which illustrates a political bias of the journalist or media
house, not to mention the gender insensitivity of the proclamation, as if
women do not count. Common sense dictates that in this world of gender
sensitivity  “the person of the year” award is more appropriate, provided
such a selection is not politically motivated, as the later falls under
the category of responsible journalism.

Responsible journalsim is about the bitter truth, and we at the Daily
Observer will publish the bitter truth, even if it hurts other media
houses. The Gambia Press Union (GPU) rejoiner falls under irresponsible
journalism. The GPU is  not a sacred cow that is beyond criticism.

Communication, they say, has four different elements without which
listeners cannot be in tune with the ingredients of the message. But a
danger of missing each of the elements of communication, such as
interpreting, analysing and decoding of the message, could endanger human
perception of the desired information.

The laying of wreath in a public domain requires the permission of a
public authority for such an event to take place. This is simply the rule
of law.

While it is pertinent to note that our freedom is limited within the
confines of the law, we should at the same time respect and operate within
the ambit of the same law to enable us to uphold the ethics of the
profession.

The Observer editorial was merely meant to educate rather than to hurt the
feelings of others, and anybody who feels offended probably misunderstood
the points of the message.
Indeed, our editorial column has no space for half-baked journalism, much
less to be collaborators of dubious crimes.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 January 2006 )
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