About RAP 21 Search Archives Sign a Protest Letter Join RAP 21 Contact RAP 21 French
Other articles in the RAP 21 Newsletter n° 20/2003:
NEWS FROM THE MEDIA SCENE
Highway Africa 2003 explores media in the information society
Late Zimbabwe journalist receives Harvard University award
Online meeting with Zimbabwe correspondent Andrew Meldrum
PRESS FREEDOM
On the run from Liberia
Alerts from the continent
AWARDS OPPORTUNITIES
Award for the Innovative use of New Media in Africa
International Investigative Reporting Award
TOOLS
Secretary general for Community Radio Association
Newsletter n° 20

10.06.2003
THE BUSINESS OF NEWSPAPERS CONTENT & ETHICS

The importance of press ethics

RAP 21 spoke to Stephen Ward, editor of Global Journalism Ethics. He has 15 years of journalism experience as foreign reporter, editor and newsroom manager. Today he is Associate Professor at The Graduate School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia.

RAP 21: What is the purpose of the Global Journalism Ethics forum? Stephen Ward: I do not think that we can simply extend North American, or Western, models of press ethics to other areas of the world, such as to the press of developing nations or war-torn countries. Press ethics must take into account different social and cultural values. What we need is for journalists from many press traditions to communicate with each other, to share their perspectives on major issues and seek ways to promote a more free and responsible journalism worldwide. Global Journalism Ethics is one contribution: Its purpose is to have journalists from around the world comment on a major ethical issue, bringing a global perspective to the conduct of news media.

RAP 21: From an African perspective, how do you motivate the importance of press ethics? Stephen Ward: Motivating the importance of press ethics faces many obstacles such as unethical media organizations, the pressure of governments, the lure of money and career advancement, plus the severe competition between media professionals. However, we can begin to counter-balance those unethical forces in several ways. First, individual journalists need to commit themselves to ethical practices and to speak up for such practices. Journalists, through their associations and related groups, need to continue to build strong global organizations that monitor, critique and promote professional standards. They need to form networks that will help journalists who are under unethical pressures. As well, journalists and journalism educators should begin to hold global media meetings and conferences to develop the basics of a "global ethics" for all journalism professionals -- a sort of journalism declaration. I see this declaration as the start of a movement toward a better global media for the future. None of this will be easy, and nothing will happen quickly. But I believe we need to begin this process so that journalism is a humane force for independent information, for cross-cultural understanding and for a more peaceful, tolerant, better-informed world.

RAP 21: What kind of issues are raised within the Global Journalism Ethics? Stephen Ward: The issues we have raised so far include worries about concentration of media ownership in Canada, whether journalists should appear before an international war tribunal, allegations that foreign reporters in Nigeria accepted government money to attend a ministerial news conference, and so on. There is no end to the topics, and there are many other issues not yet covered. For example, those other issues include the impact of major news corporations in the West on how its audiences perceive other countries in the world, and how it affects their understanding of issues in other regions, such as regions in Africa, or southeast Asia, or eastern Europe.

We need to explore how journalists around the world can help other journalists who have been censored, intimidated or thrown in jail by tyrannical regimes. We need to look at how journalists from different countries regard such concepts as "free press," "social responsibility of the press," "journalistic independence" and so on, by looking at concrete examples.

RAP 21: In what sense can the forum be of interest for African media professionals? Stephen Ward: I think Global Journalism Ethics should be of interest to African media professionals who are interested in reflecting on their ethical standards and their practices, and the state of the news media generally. Obviously, if we have a case study from an African country, this would be of interest to African media professionals. But I believe that all journalists, no matter where they live, can see the relevance of the issues discussed on the web site.

To visit Global Journalism Ethics go to http://www.macalester.edu/~wpi/ethi...
Post a comment

Comments
© 2003 World Association of Newspapers - All Rights Reserved
Please send all technical comments regarding this site to our Webmaster
diabetic desserts recipes recipes Diabetic Soups Holiday Pizza Recipes Popcorn Recipes Recipes For Microwave Pasta Recipes Casserole Recipes Chili Recipes Curry Recipes Crockpot Recipes Apples Recipes Bread Recipes Vegetarian Recipes Vegetable recipes Desserts Recipes Appetizers Ethnic Recipes Meat Dishes Barbecue Recipes Sauces Recipes Marinade Recipes Low Fat Recipes Frugal Gourmet Kitchen Classics Recipes On The Grill Cook Books Seafood Recipes Cajun Recipes Breads Low Fat Low Fat Breads Bread Machine Recipes Yeast Breads Quick Breads Fat Free Vegetarian Salad Recipes Eggplant Recipes Radish Recipes Tomato Recipes Jalapeno Recipes Potato Recipes Lettuce Recipes Cabbage Recipes Beans Ambrosia Recipes Biscotti Recipes Desserts Low Fat Cookie Recipes Cheesecake Recipes Cake Recipes Pie Recipes Muffin Recipes Custard Recipes Best Appetizers Appetizers Low Fat Salsa Recipes Dip Recipes International Recipes Afghan Recipes Alaska Recipes French Recipes German Recipes Greek Recipes Italian Recipes Spanish Recipes Thai Recipes Korean Recipes Chinese Recipes Mexican Recipes Indian Recipes Beef Recipes Pork Pork & Ham Pork Butts Pork Chop Recipes Pork Ribs Rulled Pork Poultry Recipes Stews Recipes Ground Beef Barbecue Grill Barbecue Smoker All Purpose Sauce BBQ Sauce Barbecue Sauce Carolina BBQ Sauce Pickle Recipes Marinades Smoking Low Fat Appetizers & Dips Low Fat Breakfast Low Fat Cakes Low Fat Cheesecakes Low Fat Cookies Low Fat Desserts Low Fat Fish & Seafood Low Fat Meats Low Fat Pasta Low Fat Pies Low Fat Salads Low Fat Sandwiches Low Fat Sauces & Condiments Low Fat Sides Low Fat Soups Low Fat Vegetarian Baker's Dozen Taste of Home Recipe Book Bon Appetit Cookbook Blacktie Cookbook Buster Cook Book Martha Stewart Cookbook Cookbook USA Cook Book Cook Book Sara's Cookbook Sara's Cookbook Appetizers and Dips Poultry recipes Diabetic recipes Holiday recipes Miscellaneous recipes 110 recipes 1986 Usenet cookbook 2900 recipes Cyberrealm recipes Great sysops of world Specialty recipes Ceideburg recipes Cheese recipes Chili recipes Fruits recipes Garlic recipes Great chefs of NY Londontowne recipes Raisins recipes Recipes for kids US Food Vegetarian recipes Bread recipes Drinks Meat Dishes Brisket recipes Caribou recipes Chicken recipes Filet mignons recipes Pork recipes Swordfish recipes Turkey recipes Pasta recipes Uncategorized recipes Ethnic recipes Canada recipes English recipes Ethiopia recipes Germany recipes Greece recipes Mexican recipes Philippines recipes Welsh recipes Microwave recipes Soups recipes Vegetable recipes Asparagus recipes Barley recipes Brown rice recipes Lentil recipes Mushrooms recipes Salads recipes Wild rice Desserts recipes Cakes recipes Chocolate recipes Cookies recipes Ice cream recipes