Opinion / Columnist
Journalists should be professional
13 Jan 2016 at 11:44hrs | Views
The local tabloid in the name of News day published an article recently accusing the state of using 'dirty' divide and rule tactics. The journalists were arrested on allegations of publishing falsehoods after they allegedly published a story alleging that members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) were secretly paid their annual bonuses last year.
The story was likely to cause alarm, despondency and turmoil given that most civil servants were not given their bonuses and some had just received their salaries, days after they were expected. The article titled 'CIOs secretly get bonuses' chided government for paying the alleged bonuses to members of the organisation while postponing salaries for other civil servants.
Police said the story was not factual as members of the CIO were not given the said bonuses just like any other civil servants. A close analysis of disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone something which never happened. A close analysis of the statement issued by the police indicates that it was a bonus which never was.
Surely people should be accountable for what they say and if it is false, journalists should face the wrath of the law otherwise they discredit the journalism profession. People should practice investigative journalism. They should verify their facts before they publish. It seems the article was an attention seeking devoid of facts. Journalists should abide by the tenets of journalism which emphasize factuality, truthfulness, objectivity, credibility, reliability, verifiability, and credibility. In fact we should not be involved in what is referred to as cosmetic journalists.
Professional bodies like the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) should monitor the activities of its members and bring to book wayward journalists who want to put this noble profession into disrepute. The Information and Media Panel of Inquiry (IMPI) which sought to promote and evaluate the standards of media practice in Zimbabwe should be implemented and bring sanity to the profession.
Editorially, the information sector faces real values dilemma. This has gone beyond being a charge against journalism by those in power. It has become a self admitted shortcoming by practitioners of the industry. Thus the sector's values crisis has to be addressed in a comprehensive way that seeks integrity and professionalism in the sector.
The story was likely to cause alarm, despondency and turmoil given that most civil servants were not given their bonuses and some had just received their salaries, days after they were expected. The article titled 'CIOs secretly get bonuses' chided government for paying the alleged bonuses to members of the organisation while postponing salaries for other civil servants.
Police said the story was not factual as members of the CIO were not given the said bonuses just like any other civil servants. A close analysis of disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone something which never happened. A close analysis of the statement issued by the police indicates that it was a bonus which never was.
Surely people should be accountable for what they say and if it is false, journalists should face the wrath of the law otherwise they discredit the journalism profession. People should practice investigative journalism. They should verify their facts before they publish. It seems the article was an attention seeking devoid of facts. Journalists should abide by the tenets of journalism which emphasize factuality, truthfulness, objectivity, credibility, reliability, verifiability, and credibility. In fact we should not be involved in what is referred to as cosmetic journalists.
Professional bodies like the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) should monitor the activities of its members and bring to book wayward journalists who want to put this noble profession into disrepute. The Information and Media Panel of Inquiry (IMPI) which sought to promote and evaluate the standards of media practice in Zimbabwe should be implemented and bring sanity to the profession.
Editorially, the information sector faces real values dilemma. This has gone beyond being a charge against journalism by those in power. It has become a self admitted shortcoming by practitioners of the industry. Thus the sector's values crisis has to be addressed in a comprehensive way that seeks integrity and professionalism in the sector.
Source - Stewart Murewa
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