Journalism must not fade away now
The media was once regarded as institutions primarily concerned with the wellbeing and functioning of all social systems to benefit all citizens of the country.
This was before the media could be seen and researched as business due to the change of its primary objective, which had become profit.
This, according to Pieter J Fourie, is a very special business of “storytelling” that set the public debate.
This tempted me to write more about the economics of the media versus its agenda and ownership.
I will try not to go there but stick to what prompted me to pen this piece, which is coronavirus news reporting and what I view as lack of journalism elements, principles and ethics during this pandemic.
The lack of these critical fundamentals leads to the media missing its important role of public awareness.
In the early days of this pandemic, I began to find reading material about the 1918 flu pandemic.
According to the available information, this was characterised by lack of information in many countries and this led to the public deciding for itself due to limited media reporting and contradictory messages from governments across the world.
The difference between then and now is that many people have access to social media to receive content and to create their own content in many forms.
The danger is fake news reaching out to many people faster than credible information. People can now use fake news to decide for themselves.
The role of media is to expose fake news and remain the credible source of information. It has been disheartening to see journalism elements, principles and ethics fade away each day since the first case was reported from print, online and broadcast journalism.
Some say this has been happening for a long time and that got me thinking about the last time I read an objective story.
It has become so usual to get unbalanced and subjective news reports that one even forgets that the word “objective” exists in journalism books.
For example, eNCA news anchors’ “views” that suggested co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Dr Nkosazana Damini-Zuma
single-handedly overturned the government decision on tobacco sale ban which they later apologised for.
If that was indeed their view, why did eNCA take them off air?
Isn’t that censoring journalists? This reminds me of the suspension of a journalist after tweeting about the EFF elective conference.
Many news organisations become a voice for media statements without further interrogating them and praise singers for ministers.
My point is the media is not breaking any news except for reporting on news releases without even questioning those news releases and statements.
Why only tell us about the increased Covid-19 cases without going deeper; where is in-depth news reporting on these numbers?
I mean there are no oneon-one interviews about the recoveries and to get firsthand information on how they are made.
Real journalism goes out to find stories, unique stories with a human touch.
Where is investigative journalism amid the reporting of this pandemic?
Where is in-depth reporting on the use of umhlonyane and verifying the claims by those who say umhlonyane was their main medicine?
In the early days of this pandemic in SA, the govern ment centralised information and in a way silenced independent medical expects and the media was comfortable with that arrangement. Why?
My last question, why is the media delegating its rolesetting public debate to Twitter and reporting what Twitter says?
In asking questions, journalists and news anchors must remove themselves from the story so as to maintain the impartiality of the news.
The Flo Letoaba and John Steenhuisen interview is an example.
Nicholas Russell, in his book Morals and the Media, asks: Can one filter and claim to be objective?
If the media is still to fulfil its role of informing the public about the Covid 19 pandemic, it should not wait to be fed information by the newsmakers and do in-depth investigations and reporting.
I often say journalism is a struggle to report the truth. It must not fade away now, when it is needed the most.