WINDHOEK – Namibia is now ranked among the best 20 countries in the world that can be regarded as an open society where journalists can report without fear of intimidation, torture or any other form of violence.
It certainly is good news to know that we have even out-done some of the biggest preachers of democracy like the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Needless to say, we must ask ourselves whether we have quality journalism in this country. It is time for us journalists to take stock and do self-introspection. How many real investigative journalists do we have that can unearth things that those in the wrong would have rather kept away from the public eye? We can pride ourselves with some of the issues that we uncovered where some folks were caught with their pants down.
But I am not talking here about some of the cheap stories that make headlines and get journalists into trouble with the law for not being able to prove that the story they wrote was of public interest, that it was true, that the ‘injured’ parties were given enough time and space to give their side of the story, that the story was balanced in terms of the types of respondents sourced or that it was written in the right context. Those are some of journalistic practices that give us a bad name for being regarded as untrustworthy, sensationalists, unethical and fabricators of stories. Some people might interpret the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index as indicating that we are one of the countries with the best journalists, while it merely means we have a good degree of freedom to exercise our profession as journalists. The index can become meaningful if we start taking society and its needs to heart. Stories that make headlines do not necessarily just have to be negative.
Ask yourself what gossip and hearsay does for you, other than just having a good laugh or feeling happy that you have drawn someone to your level. We have many important issues to concentrate on that we have no time to dissect, because we feel they will not make the front page. I don’t dispute that in certain circumstances what may be regarded as mere gossip may have influence on society’s morals and standards, but news should not only be limited to bad or sensational news. We have a duty to society, not only to be watchdogs of wrong doers, but also to help citizens make better decisions on different matters in their lives. It is our duty to find sense in confusing information, such as breaking down jargon and complicated stories so that society is not kept in the dark about subjects they have little understanding about. While attending the Journalism Summer School these last two weeks, organized by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and the Polytechnic of Namibia, one professor said that journalists have the skills to investigate and report on behalf of those who do not have the skills to investigate and report. I can’t agree more. Let us take journalism to another level and make our profession the pride of the nation. – Eewa!
By Magreth Nunuhe