In June 2004, Crispin Tulay, editor of The Vanguard newspaper, based in Liberia, travelled to South Africa to participate in a week-long newspaper management course with a select group of editors from the Southern African region. The newspaper editors were trained in various aspects of newspaper management such as: Leadership Skills, Change, Circulation, Budget, Advertising and Team Management. In the second part of a two week series, RAP 21 publishes excerpts from the report that came out of this unique experience.
This week: Advertising & Issues of Ethics
Advertising
Within the Liberian context, advertising is very strange. Liberia has just emerged from 14 years of civil crisis. Businesses were badly hit as result of the fighting. Most businesses enjoy monopolies and are reluctant to advertise. We have therefore begun a campaign that would encourage them to advertise in newspapers, given that the Liberian economy has a potential future of liberalized markets. The discussions at the management course showed how the impact of advertising reaches far beyond just money making, both for the media houses and the businesses involved. We learned that advertising, in effect, is a boost to the growth of the national economy. Advertising encourages expenditure, promotes competition and improves the livelihood of a nation.
Lessons learnt from the benefits of advertising taught us how to be more convincing when seeking adverts from business houses. We can now boldly tell advertisers the danger of not advertising. The lack of advertising is among the hindrances to the growth of any nation. The benefits for the consumer are numerous. To mention a few: it encourages lower prices because consumers are better informed. It also encourages competition and cuts down on the sales of competitors. Another part of the session was the disadvantages or drawbacks in the abuse of advertisement. For example, it encourages unnecessary envy and can be intrusive. As the result of advertising, people become addicted to goods and develop bad expenditure habits. In writing an advert, it should be detailed and attractive. We realized that advertising is an opportunity for business houses to grow, and that we should guide against using phrases such as space for sale in our newspaper.
Issues of Ethics
The issue of ethics is very sensitive in the history of the Liberian media, especially as the country emerges from war. Individuals with a political agenda often tend to use the media to achieve their own goals. If journalists are not careful, they will fall short of major ethical concerns. During the discussion we were able to highlight ethics beyond right or wrong. Ethics is about decision making that focuses on fundamentals and guiding principles. Ethics is about the independence of the media. We discussed the importance of this independence.
Primary points are:
the trust it builds
the credibility it builds
how it helps create an informed and enlightened society, which enhances democracy
There are lots of factors that impact the independence of the media, primary among which are economic constraints, government, commercial issues and ownership pressures. There are two additional factors within the Liberian context, namely family and peer pressures. In Liberia, family members who have the opportunity to work for the government often tend to use family ties to pressure journalists against being critical of a regime. Journalists are also used to either castigate or warn their colleagues against being critical of a regime.
I now see self-censorship from a different perspective. I realized that self-censorship cannot be eradicated but can be minimized. I also learnt that it has implications that take many forms and shapes. In Liberia, we often see self-censorship as an outside interference. However, it can come from within and go unnoticed. Journalist are engaged in self-censorship for many reasons - primarily economic gains.
In summing up the entire seminar, I can best describe it as very rewarding. I learnt key points in being an effective newspaper manager. As a manager, I am to take interest in all aspects of our institutions, and avoid internal or departmental strife. The business department depends on the editorial team - the poor performance of the editorial team affects the sales of the paper. One way a media institution can improve its circulation is to turn readers into buyers. This will enhance the financial prospects of my newspaper. Newspapers should discuss and cover a wide range of subjects. Clear policies must be adopted for employees to follow. A head of a newspaper must guide against discriminating against employees when these policies are enforced.