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Media: Victimised for exposing reality
2006-03-13 07:31:10
By Correspondent Ernest C. Ambali
The fear that engulfed one of the greatest warriors in history, Napoleon Bonaparte, who said: ’’four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets,’’ still haunts a few persons in governments and some members of the global community in which Tanzania is a part.
This fear was exemplified in Dar es Salaam last September when prison officers from Ukonga battered newsmen on duty to expose illegal evictions of tenants.
When presenting his report to the Seventh National General Convention (NGC) on 20th January this year, the Executive (MCT) Antony Ngaiza, recounted the incident published widely in the electronic and print media.
’’The year 2005 witnessed disturbing acts of aggression against journalists in Tanzania.
’’As many of you will recall, in September, the citizen’s Chief Photographer Mpoki Bukuku and the information officer of the Legal and Human Rights Centre, Chirstopher Kidanka, were set upon, by prison officers when on duty covering the forced eviction of Air Tanzania employees from their homes in Ukonga.The two were badly hurt.
’’This event seemed to have set the scene for other acts of aggression against journalists, this time by supporters of some political parties.
The media fraternity stood up in arms against these despicable acts of violence against journalists,’’ Mr. Ngaiza said.
As expected and as if this was not enough, there were condemnations, call to boycott certain personalities, and some government institutions and even political parties, he said.
To buttress the Press condemnations, the MCT also made its stand and condemned in the strongest terms the acts of violence against journalists.
’’The council lauds the media fraternity for the solidarity and steadfastness they have shown in ensuring that they would not condone any acts of aggression against them,’’ he said.
Yes, the diabolical behaviour of the prison askaris deserved the Press condemnation as it was delivered because the newsmedia in Tanzania is not an enemy of the State, but of individuals who use their public positions for personal gains.
The media in Tanzania is always conscious or aware of where it has gone wrong against the State, institutions, public, private authorities and individuals.
In the event of such a situation, the recalcitrant media house or individual journalists is summoned to be reprimanded for the defamatory reportage. But the core service of the MCT is mediation and arbitration, as stated by Ngaiza in his report.
’’Mediation and arbitration remain the core work of the council. In the past eight years, the council has proved again and again that it is possible for the media to regulate itself through a voluntary mechanism of enforcing the code of conduct and ensuring compliance of the same,’’ he said.
The Council, which was formed in 1995 by journalists, as opposed to government drive to establish a council under its control, was the solidarity of the journalists, which wrenched it from the government.
Although it had teething problems, some of them still around, success has been realised in some areas like arbitration and mediation.
’’In the year under review, the council considered 10 complaints brought for settlement from aggrieved members of the public.
Eight of the cases were dealt with in Dar es Salaam while the remaining two were handled in collaboration with the Mwanza Press Club and Kagera Press Club, respectively,’’ he said.
It is the intention of the council to empower the regional press club so that they are enabled to handle complaints from the public in their regions.
The drive would mean bringing the arbitration and mediation services of the council closer to the people, at lesser costs because the parties would not be required to come to Dar es Salaam.
At the last NGC the Council amended the MCT constitution to ensure that every professional whether he or she is a member of the council or not must submit to the requirements of the professional code of ethics.
This enabled the council to deal with the few errant media outlets which have continued to flaunt professional ethics and had withdrawn from the council to avoid censure.
While it is true that comparatively the number of media outlets that had refused to conform to media ethics were few, the behaviour of these few media outlets have a devastating effect on self regulation.
This could also put off the majority of those who are ethical and adhere vigorously to professional standards.
’’In the few years of its existence, the Council has proved again and again that it is possible for the media to regulate itself through a voluntary mechanism and to take to task and censure unethical conducts among ourselves,’’ Ngaiza said.
Indeed, this esteemed body has done just that to regulate itself through voluntary mechanism and taking to task its recalcitrant members back into line.
The council has proved true the English proverb that says, ’’set a thief to catch another thief.’’
That is; to censure a recalcitrant professional you must set a professional to do the job. It is not surprising therefore that the then minister for Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Mr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, now President, praised the council for an excellent job of censuring recalcitrant journalists. He showered the praises when the media council celebrated its fifth anniversary in Dar es Salaam on 22nd May, 2002.
’’Let me emphasise that the government has a lot of confidence in the council.
The government is genuinely committed to promoting press freedom and regards the media as an important and essential partner in good governance and the promotion of democratic values in our country,’’ he said.
The operative sentence here is that which says, ’’the media is an important and essential partner in good governance and promotion of democratic values in our country.’’
To further reduce it, we underscore the word ’’partner’’. The media is a partner of the government in various aspects including helping it to amplify, spread its messages far and wide and of course, exposing corrupt behaviour in the public and private sectors.
We mean corrupt behaviour in a wide sense to include giving and receiving bribes and acts of intimidation against innocent people like journalist performing their jobs they have been licensed for by the government.
Exposing corrupt elements is like picking a speck out of a glass of milk, instead of throwing away the precious, nutritions drink. In other words, what the media says is: ’’It is this person who is dirty, corrupt, not the institution or government.’’
The media has been doing so with substantial evidence in nose case. Although sometimes the media published half backed stories it does not mean they do not contain the central truth.
Government support for the news media in Tanzania draws a sharp contrast between itself and some of the African countries that threaten to ban newspapers for exposing people proved corrupt.
Generally, the media provides the government with some, food for thought and information, which is complementary to that given by its intelligence operatives.
It is also possible that a super active daily could have exclusive information which has not found its way into government secret files.
Under such circumstances the government can simply seek more information from its ’’partner,’’ the newspaper radio or television who published the information.
Obviously the good partner, will oblige by releasing the information willingly.
However, to be a partner should not boil down to mean the press must agree with the government always, because what appears to be government’s stand is in fact a personal view to hide the truth, particularly in case of corruption exposures.
Yet the media should take a stand where things have ’’fallen apart’’ in the government camp, and also bring into line recalcitrant professionals as the outgoing MCT Chairman, Prof. G. Mmari said at the convention.
The general public will respect you as individuals or members of a profession to the extent that you sanction your own performance.
’’While it is not always possible to achieve the ideal, attempts to do so cannot fail to attract admiration of all well wishers,’’ Prof. Mmari said.
Indeed if the print and electronic media had not exposed the ’’acts of aggression against journalists’’ last September then ’’things would be falling apart’’ in its camps.’’
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