Maintaining and upholding professionalism in journalism is critical

Participants in a panel discussion on Media, Law and Digital Responsibility at the ongoing International Festival on Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, agreed that maintaining and upholding professionalism in journalism is critical.

As part of the festival, several panel discussions have been lined up, dealing with pertinent issues affecting the media landscape.

Among many others was the discussion on Media, Law and Digital Responsibility in which nbc’s Chief News and Programming Officer, Menesia Muinjo, took part.

“We must just remain focused on journalistic professionalism. It kills everything else. Everything else, then you are not doing it right. If you remain really authentic in what you do, then there is nothing else that beats that. In our newsroom, for example, if the story is not balanced, then it must just not go.”

The Regional Manager for Reporters Without Borders, Marc Ablofan, shared similar sentiments, saying when journalists are criticised, media organisations are often quick to defend themselves before finding out what has really happened.

“In many situations, the journalist is sometimes the culprit or responsible. He didn’t respect what he should do; he didn’t do things by the rules. So I think it’s important for us as journalists to recognise that we have rights. But this right goes with responsibilities. And Madam Emesia recalls those responsibilities because they are important. We can’t claim our rights unless we respect our duties and responsibilities. If we are aware of our duties and if we recognise that these are not empty words.”

Bringing in another perspective was Dr. Cyriaque Pare, a researcher and founder of the online media company Faso Pointnet.

“If we consider this change, the online media, digital right of extending the journalist working area, but also said a competition area with new objectives, with new threats. That goes beyond the judicial structures. So when we take a look at where the most dangerous threats are coming from, the journalists are going to come from. It’s not from the prosecutors and not from the armed forces, but it’s the questioning of the rights of journalists by citizens who don’t have any legitimacy to say anything but are now presenting themselves as a threat.”