MEDIA practitioners need to uphold ethical standards and respect the rights and dignity
of their stakeholders as they write and post their content.
Ethical reporting is not only a professional obligation but, is also a democratic necessity.
Addressing Online content creators recently, Al- Amin Yusuph, UNESCO Regional
Advisor for Communications and Information, stressed the need for media practitioners
to provide accurate, balanced and fact-checked news.
“Ethical reporting means adhering to the principles of truthfulness, fairness, accuracy,
balance, objectivity, independence and accountability.
“It also means avoiding sensationalism, bias, distortion, manipulation, propaganda and
misinformation,” he explained.
Ethical reporting promotes public trust and confidence of any media house.
Yusuph urged practitioners to ensure that all the information they disseminate comes
from reliable and official sources.
He urged them to be aware of hate speech saying addressing hate speech is another
important aspect of responsible journalism.
Hate speech is any form of expression that incites hatred, discrimination or violence
against a person, based on their identity, race, religion, ethnicity or even politicaĺ
affiliation.
Professor Nhamo Antony Mhiripiri, from the Midlands State University’s Faculty of Arts
and Humanities is of the opinion that journalists should check their content before they
disseminate it.
He said: “You are not conveyor belts for hate speech. If you hear someone using hate
speech, name calling, you should make sure you separate the chuff from the good
content.”