Content & Ethics

Newsletter n°20/26.06.08
Press Freedom Roundtable Reaffirms That "the Power to Censor is in the Hands of the Few, but the Capacity for Free Speech is in All Our Mouths"

As the 2005 Danish caricatures of Prophet Mohammed continue to ricochet from newsrooms to religious communities to government offices and court rooms around the world, the right to offend, disturb and shock audiences has led many to question how far freedom of expression and freedom of the press can extend. During the press freedom roundtable at the 61st World Newspaper Congress in Göteborg, Sweden, publishers, journalists, a cartoonist and human rights experts defended the right to offend audiences but also addressed its implications. The debate was moderated by Miklos Haraszti, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

At the opening of the roundtable publisher and editor Philippe Val of the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo, said he re-published the contentious Danish caricatures of Prophet Mohammed as a statement of freedom of expression, "to show that it was possible to do so" and move on.

"If we, in a democratic country, no longer have the right to laugh at those who want to terrorize us, there’s a real problem," said Val. Following the abrupt dismissal of the managing editor of the daily France-Soir for being the first editor in France to publish the cartoons, Val, along with the managing editor of L’Express, saw the urgency of exposing the problem within a democratic context. "It’s satire-a satire on terror," he said, that has cross-societal ramifications and "has nothing to do with Islam."

Editor in chief and managing director Ulf Johansson of the Swedish regional newspaper Nerikes Allehanda published a cartoon of the Prophet as a dog for similar reasons. "We demanded that it must be possible to ridicule religion," he said, while also stressing that there needs to be space for all religions to be practiced. "[In Sweden] we defend [freedom of religion] as hard as freedom of speech," Johansson said.

Even with leaving editorial space for a variety of viewpoints which may include religious epithets or lampooning, Johansson said, "I surely don’t mean that I would like to publish pictures of, for example Mohammed, easily in my newspaper...I must think about the Muslim people living in my hometown that were affected."

Likewise, Val believes "In a democracy, a political force, one that claims the right to define the limits of law, must expose itself to criticism and satire like anyone else. It is no longer a religion then, it is an ideology. We have the right to criticize Islam when it masquerades as a [political] ideology."

For that reason Val said the cartoons were not racist. Similarly, general counsel Dinah PoKempner of Human Rights Watch said the cartoons were particularly interesting insofar as they shook religious sentiment and not specific Muslim people, placing them at the other end of the spectrum from, for example, hate speech propagated during the Rwanda genocide by the radio station Mille Collines. Rather, the cartoons forced open the debate on "Islam’s compatibility with secularism and atheism," as according to Val on what happened in France.

Newsletter n°18/11.06.08
South Africa’s Leading Newspaper Disputes Allegations of Reporting Irresponsibly on Xenophobic Violence
On 29 May 2008 the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) and its partner, the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA), filed an official complaint with the press ombudsman Joe Thloloe and the South African Human Rights Commission against the country’s leading daily newspaper, the Daily Sun. The newspaper, which has a readership base of 4.8 million people or a quarter of the adult population in the country, has been accused of having an anti-immigrant bias that has exacerbated tensions between normally friendly ethnic groups.

Newsletter n°13/30.04.08
African Journalists Discuss World Press Freedom Day

All over the world there are a multitude of causes that are celebrated and honored on different days throughout the year. In Africa, World Press Freedom Day (on 3 May) is one that carries an exceptional weight. Prominent journalists from across the continent from South Africa to Tunisia, spoke to RAP 21 on what this day signifies in their country.

Journalist Clifford Derrick from Kenya, now exiled in South Africa, spoke of the need to refocus 3 May into a new vein that accounts more for the journalists working in oft-brutal conditions. Omar Belhouchet, an eminent publisher from Algeria, discussed widening the fight for press freedom to be all-inclusive in the country. South African media veteran Janine Lazarus talked about the incongruence between law and practice. Zimbabwean journalist Geoffrey Nyarota, now based in the United States, examined the possibilities for change. Tunisian journalist and freedom of expression advocate Sihem Bensedrine emphasized the importance to take stock on 3 May and define means to achieve the right to a free press.

Newsletter n°8/26.03.08
Covering Ghana’s Children: An Interview with the Editor of The Child Alert
In October 2007, a child advocacy newspaper, The Child Alert, was launched in Ghana. As the only publication of its kind in the country, the free weekly newspaper aims at disseminating information about serious issues, such as trafficking and AIDS/HIV, to assist in improving the plight of children throughout Ghana. Though while still in its nascence, the Editor-in-Chief Kent Mensah has been struggling to fiscally support the publication. RAP 21 spoke to Mensah about his strategy to maintain and develop the publication.

Newsletter n°6/07.03.08
Women’s Perspective Needed to Report on African News Adequately
The most influential newsroom figures behind what headlines get printed and in what approach are still in many countries men. This implicitly means that what many read in a newspaper is heavily shaped by the perspectives of only one sex-important topics to particularly women, such as forced marriage, girls’ education, and rape are thus sometimes deemed trivial, one-sided, or even absent.

Newsletter n°18/16.09.05
CONTENT: Dealing with religious tension
In November 2002, the city of Kaduna in northern Nigeria erupted into racial riots leaving over 100 people dead. The riots began after an article in the national newspaper “ThisDay” questioned Muslims groups that had condemned the Miss World pageant which was taking place in the country by the time. The article said: "What would the Prophet Mohammed think? In all honesty, he would probably have chosen a wife from among them the contestants." Outraged Islamic leaders issued a ‘fatwa’, calling for the death of the article’s author. The incident has prompted the Nigerian media to take a hard look at their role in dealing with the country’s religious tensions.

Newsletter n° 9/20.06.05
RESTORING CREDIBILITY FOR NEWSPAPERS
A generation ago, ethics and integrity were foreign concepts to journalists in Mexico. How to enforce ethics in media and how to reinforce credibility, as well as how Mexican newspapers went about repairing the damage and giving people a powerful reason for reading newspapers were the subjects of the presentation made by Alejandro Junco de la Vega, President & CEO of the Reforma Group in Mexico.

Newsletter n° 4/01.03.05
Free handbook for local journalists in crisis areas
Reporters at the frontlines are at risk as never before. But with many countries moving towards democracy, the role of local journalists has never been more important. The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) has launched a comprehensive handbook for local journalists. In addition to journalism safety, the 200-page manual entitled Reporting for Change: A Handbook for Local Journalists in Crisis Areas also offers detailed information on practical aspects of journalism such as establishing story structure, use of quotations, and defining the type of story you are writing.

Newsletter n°19/10.11.04
Management: Learning from Across the Continent II
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.

Newsletter n°17/19.10.04
Looking for the story within the story: Lessons learned during a training course
Looking for the story within the story, putting the spotlight on the instructors, and the value of interacting different cultures: one journalists study experience in Germany.

Newsletter n°16/06.08.04
Cut Off the Garbage: Lessons Learned During a Training Course
Writing less but better, the priority given to bad news in the media and parallels between European and Nigerian media: one journalists training experience in Germany.

Newsletter n° 10/
21.04.04
Senegal: School Newspapers Hold First Festival
School newspapers met in April at the first festival in Senegal dedicated to this kind of publication. The goal of the festival was to bring together students and professional journalists to exchange ideas and experiences. Student life was a key issue in the most recent edition of Madeleine Toundou’s school newspaper with a special focus on (Photos) the food served at the boarding school she attends five days a week on Ile de Goree, an island just off of Dakar. The 16-year-old student journalist from Maison dEducation Mariama Ba has also treated weightier subjects like politics and slavery in the pages of the school publication she has written for since last year.

Newsletter n° 5/
19.02.04
Press Freedom Spotlight on Cameroon: Another Journalist Flees His Home Country
"Continue to write about the President and you will see what happens" is only one of the many threats Georges Yepndjo received, before he decided to leave Cameroon in July 2003. Today he is living in France as an outlaw, dreaming of the day when he can return to his home country and work as a free journalist. "The government does not understand that the media is not there to make a war against them. We want to change the country to the better," says Georges Yepndjo and describes how most articles that could be perceived as critical by the government are censored and the journalists behind them persecuted.

Newsletter n° 3/
30.01.04
Ghana: Techniques to Jump-Start Human Rights Reporting
Ghanaian journalists are set to receive a boost in their techniques for reporting on human rights issues. From 9 to 13 February, a training conference that combines the discussion of topical human rights issues with intense workshops will be held in an effort to equip the Ghanaian media with the practical tools for reporting on sensitive issues such as domestic violence, gay rights, and abortion. RAP 21 spoke to Ben Peterson, executive director of Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), about the initiative and what it hopes to bring to Ghanaian journalists.

Newsletter n° 39/05.12.2003
Covering the Elections in Rwanda
In Rwanda, a country where three journalists were convicted last week of genocide crimes, the coverage of the first democratic elections in almost a decade was a major challenge.

Newsletter n° 38/
26.11.03
African Photographers Encouraged to Capture "beauty and violence" of Today’s World
The World Press Photo contest is looking for more African participants in their internationally recognised photography competition. RAP 21 speaks to Michiel Munneke, managing director of the organisation behind contest on the power of photos, challenging editors who are "visually illiterate" and the need for an African perspective in photo-journalism.

Newsletter n° 20/
10.06.2003
The importance of press ethics
Press ethics is the central issue of Global Journalism Ethics, an internet-based forum for journalists from all over the world. Founded by The World Press Institute (WPI) and the media ethics division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the forum treats subjects that touch the everyday life of journalists.

Newsletter n° 17/
13.05.2003
Breaking down barriers between Mali and Burkina Faso
More than 400 articles and a special magazine came out of a trip that journalists and journalism students from Mali made to Burkina Faso in January. This unique project allowed for media practitioners in the two countries to establish new contacts and overcome fears and prejudices about each other.

Newsletter n° 14
Strategy/Organisation: Events abroad brings out Cameroonian magazine
"What makes us special is that we offer our readers detailed information about upcoming events abroad, both in Africa and elsewhere in the world." "What makes us special is that we offer our readers detailed information about upcoming events abroad, both in Africa and elsewhere in the world."

Newsletter n° 91
Springboard readers into text
We are all aware of how difficult it is to grab the attention of readers. Headlines and photos are our most effective tools to do the job. However, designers and editors know that summaries -- those four or five-line paragraphs that appear between the headline and the first line of text -- can be good springboards to get readers into the text.

Newsletter n° 90
Playing on nearness and specificity
A newspaper which focuses on local news is a media which distinguishes itself and which has a good chance to reach the population at which it aims. In Mali, Match is a newspaper focused on sports and above all on local sports. "It is nearness which is favoured here. We cover 99 percent local news, because nobody will speak about ’our’ sport in greater detail," says Alssane Souleymane, a journalist at Match.

Newsletter n° 90
HIV, Alternative Press & Corruption
The International Women’s Media Foundation published a manual - Reporting on HIV/AIDS: A Resource Guide - as a tool for media professionals to use in improving and increasing their coverage of HIV/AIDS in Africa. It provides guidelines and tips for reporters based on the advice of experienced journalists from Africa and other regions of the world, who shared their expertise in interviews, publications, and online workshops.

Newsletter n° 89
Too much information impoverishes communication
With so many events occuring at the same time, journalists can be guilty of "throwing everything together without nuance at the public, who they regard as passive," says Laurent Qunum, author of a book on the media and their communicators’ role.

Newsletter n° 87
Science reporting to attract readers
"In the newspaper but also in the country, science and technology are not a priority," says Jean-Ren Bompolonga, who writes a science and technology column for the general information independent daily Le Phare in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Newsletter n° 85
Journalistic objectivity as service to readers
As the Ivory Coast falls deeper into a dramatic crisis, its neighbour, Burkina Faso, which has 3 million natives from the Ivory Coast in its territory, is pulled into the conflict. It is difficult for journalists to remain objective. It is nevertheless what the weekly L’Indpendant tries to do, says Dieudonn Som, director of this Burkina publication created in 1993, which has a circulation of 10,000.

Newsletter n° 83
Relaunching the editorial policy in a country in crisis
The weekly Fraternite Matin in the Ivory Coast restructured its editorial position just before the attempted coup d’Etat on September 19, putting itself to an unexpected test.

Newsletter n° 80
Culture to attract readers
The cultural pages of a newspaper allow it to distinguish itself from other publications, to attract investors and to develop loyalty among its readership. For the past two years, the Central African weekly Le Confident has published a two-page section on culture, which represents an economic trump card for the newspaper, says Patrick Bakwa, the paper’s editor.

Newsletter n° 76
How to involve the public in environmental reporting
How can you increase interest in environmental reporting? One way is to report on the health effects of environmental problems, says Gislne Nathalie Odounlami, who hosts a weekly program on environment on Benin public radio Atlantic FM.

Newsletter n° 73
Effective ways to measure and evaluate editorial
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has released a report which provides publishers and chief executive officers with more effective ways to measure and evaluate editorial output.

Newsletter n° 69
Inventing an African sense of humour
From Burkina Faso, the monthly Le Marabout spreads its humour through much of French-speaking Africa, a humour which should be understood from Ouagadougou to Bamako by way of Dakar, Yaounde or Lome.

Newsletter n° 68
Lighten Up, But Stay Serious
When De Standaard of Belgium wanted to change its image from a newspaper for "fathers and grandfathers," it did so in a big way. Among other things, it introduced a column about explicit sex written by a young woman.

Newsletter n° 62
Putting women in charge
In Benin, Sylvia Olatan d’Almida has been the director of the general information daily independent newspaper Le Bninois for the past year. "I am the first and the only woman to run a daily in Benin," she says.

Newsletter n° 53
Travel pages can enrich newspapers
Travel pages provide an appreciated change from other, more "serious" sections of a newspaper. In the Ivory Coast, this has become top priority for a group of journalists. "Most of the newspapers in the Ivory Coast write mainly about politics. But people want to read other things as well. I get very good feedback on my weekly travel page," says Doua Gouly of Fraternit Matin daily newspaper (circulation 30-40,000).

Newsletter n° 50
Sports journalism seminar gives new & challenging ideas
24 sport journalists from Zambia, Botswana and Namibia gathered in Windhoek, Namibia in December to participate in follow-up seminar on Sports Journalism arranged by the Institute for Further Education of Journalists (Fojo) of Sweden, which held the first such seminar in May.