As a people, we have been conditioned to believe that government is tyranical and that government is the body that is prone to violate human rights.
Today, journalism activists and proxies of international predatory broadcasters must also be held accountable. When a government supresses news they say government is violating the right to access information or that the government has violated freedom of information. What about the media and journalist?
When a media or journalist does not inform the public or choose what information should be made available to the public that media or journalist is also culpable. Maybe there must be some normative development to create and enforce obligation on that media or journalist. Media accountability in the local and international plain must be defined when it comes to access to information. In the world today, the media of neo – colonialism remained active. It is the unseen challenge that our people will have to deal with if we are to untie ourselves from the encroaching spirit of the 21st century imperial order .
Africans and Sierra Leoneans must destroy inferiority complex and must be embolden by patriotism and national consciousness to be capable of reversing this yoke. Media hypocrisy in news reporting has not only undermined the fabric of Africa’s democracy but has undermined the economic development and prosperity of our people. Hypocrisy is evident when a journalist offers sermon on access to information and democratic good governance like someone in the synagogue but does not do what he says. In fact when a journalist dodge a particular news for political benefits he appears worse than a government that does not give information.
The role of a journalist is to investigate and report news. A journalist should inform the public about development in society. He must frame a conversation for open dialogue. It is not what the BBC says or want or think.
The role of a journalist is not to act like kangaroo judge that adjudicate on what news should be sent and what news should not be sent to the public domain. That will be worse than censorship. It will also be politik. The rising tides of pop star journalism in Sierra Leone posed collateral threat not only to the right to access information but freedom of speech and expression.
These big morons will act in similar tyranical fashion as we have seen in countries with repressive and tyranical regimes. Some even used the journalistic medium for political career.Some use it for international trips and fat per diem and in the process they tarnish the image of our productive democracy. What can we do to reduce this encroaching spirit. Maybe we must replace them…why are they trying to rob us???
Knana Kanthe
