Journalists urged to be guided by truth

9/20/07
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
PANELLISTS at a roundtable discussion on the media and the pursuit of truth have challenged journalists to be guided by truth, the ethics of their profession and the country’s Constitution in their reportage.
The observance of those tenets, they said, was crucial to protecting the sanctity of the journalism profession.
Furthermore, it would save journalists from unduly damaging the reputation of innocent persons, creating tension in the country and consequently falling foul of the law.
The Editor-in-Chief of the Supreme Court of Ghana Law Reports, Dr Seth Y. Bimpong-Buta, the Chairman of the National Commission (NMC), Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Ransford Tetteh, the President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS), Dr Letitia E. Obeng, and the Resident Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), Ms Kathrin Meissner, made the call on Wednesday at a roundtable discussion organised by the GAAS, in collaboration with the FES.
The roundtable discussion, the first in the series, was to establish the essence of truth in journalism practice, limitations to the freedoms of speech and expression, the role of the NMC in ensuring the pursuit of truth by journalists and whether the pursuit of the truth had turned the media into tyrants.
Speaking on the topic, “The Media and the Pursuit of Truth: The Role of the National Media Commission”, Mr Adu-Gyamfi wondered whether journalists could be asked to do evidence-based journalism where “the writer commits himself/herself to only matters for whose existence he can submit proof before reasonable men and women”, as applied in the law profession.
He said the media constituted every democratic society’s best opportunity for feedback on itself and reflected the nobility and failings of society.
He stressed that the media could call all the people to action, either to reaffirm their good behaviour or work on their weaknesses, and they could also mobilise citizens to actions that furthered the aspirations of the people.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi said it was for that reason that the Constitution made elaborate provisions for the freedom and independence of the media.
He said the media could keep that position of trust “only and only if they keep the banner of truth”.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi said the NMC was mandated, among other things, to promote freedom and independence of the media and the highest journalistic standards.
He said the freedom should be used in promoting positive societal ends, saying that “the freedom must be used to showcase what is positive about society and encourage members of society to live lives worthy of praise”.
Mr Tetteh, who spoke on, “Has the Pursuit of Truth Turned the Media into Tyrants?”, noted that democracies, established or emerging, depended on the consent of an informed citizenry and the news media were a primary source of the information people needed to govern themselves.
He said to ensure that journalists were able to provide that information, many countries had established legal protections for a free press and said the 1992 Constitution guaranteed the freedom and independence of the media.
He said journalists in a free society not only had certain legal protections but also had responsibilities.
Mr Tetteh said in almost every case journalists were required to provide accurate and fair reportage, without outside influences, and said in democratic societies the news media performed an additional function as watchdogs of the activities of the executive and judicial arms of the government.
“They (the media) have kept democracies viable by giving voice to the voiceless, ensuring that the ruling majority cannot trample on the rights of a minority,” he said.
Mr Tetteh said Ghanaian journalists were doing well, but added that like any human institution, they sometimes faulted and admitted their failings and made amends.
He said the duty and responsibility of the media was to establish the truth, saying it was in recognition of this that Article One of the GJA Code of Ethics states that “The duty of every journalist is to write and report the truth bearing in mind his/her duty to serve the public.”
Mr Tetteh said the two words that came up for scrutiny and which the media had no choice but relate to constantly in their work were “truth” and “facts”.
He said the credibility of the press was linked to its commitment to truth, the pursuit of accuracy, fairness and objectivity and the distinction between news and advertising.
He said the attainment of those goals and respect for ethical and professional values might not be imposed but were the exclusive responsibility of journalists, saying that “we as journalists must bear in mind that ethical journalism is essential to the long-term success of the news media”.
Mr Tetteh commended the media for exposing wrongdoing in society and arriving at the truth through information and education.
However, he said, in spite of the GJA Code of Ethics and other instruments and documents, such as the NMC Guidelines for the Print and Electronic Media, there were excesses and mistakes which many media observers considered rather too elementary to be pardoned.
Dr Bimpong-Buta, who spoke on the topic, “Limitations to Freedom of Speech and Expression”, said the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, including freedom of the press and other media, within the meaning of Articles 21 (1)(a) and 162(1) of the 1992 Constitution, was one of the core attributes and the very embodiment of a truly democratic system of government.
Equally, he said, the limitations to the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression “is an indispensable attribute of a truly democratic society” and stressed that journalists were accountable not only to God but also the law in the performance of their duties.
Quoting several articles in the Constitution, judgements, opinions and reports on the limitations of the freedom of speech and expression, Dr Bimpong-Buta indicated that the freedom of speech and expression was not absolute.
For instance, he said, Article 21(1)(a), which guaranteed “freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media”, was subject to the provision in Article 21(4)(c) and (e).
Furthermore, Dr Bimpong-Buta said the right of the media to freedom of speech and expression and the right to publish any information about any person was subject to a limitation under Article 162(6), which required the media to publish a rejoinder by any person who lodged a complaint against the publication of any statement.
He mentioned the Criminal Libel and Sedition Law, the law of contempt of court and the tort of defamation as some of the laws that limited the freedom of speech and expression before the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution.
Dr Bimpong-Buta supported the repeal of the law of libel, since it put a person in jail when he could be made to pay adequate compensation to the aggrieved person.
However, he said where a public officer was defamed in the performance of his public duty, it was not right for him to resort to civil claims to maintain and safeguard his reputation, unless all the legal expenses incurred in prosecuting the civil claim for libel would be borne by the government or the state institution where he worked.
He said the avowed objectives of the GJA to promote high journalistic standards and media accountability would effectively be achieved only when media practitioners bore in mind that their fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression was subject to limitations under the law.
Ms Meissner said the quality of reportage in the country was mixed, with some journalists presenting quality stuff and others just giving poor quality work.
She asked journalists to pursue the truth at all times, especially during next year’s general election.
Dr Obeng, who chaired the function, stressed the need for the media to uphold the truth at all times, since that was necessary to entrench democracy and promote the socio-economic development of the country.