In the current digital age, journalistic ethics are widely disregarded, which is reflected in the transformation of social values and practices.
This and other elements were recently discussed at the School of Communication and Arts at Eduardo Mondlane University (ECA-UEM), during the debate ‘Media Ethics in the Digital Age’.
The event was part of the celebration of the centenary of writer and translator Fernando Leite Couto, a former journalist and lecturer at the School of Journalism (EJ), and included the participation of Jeremias Langa, Mia Couto, Rogério Manjate and Cremilde Massingue, moderated by Tomás Vieira Mário.
‘There seems to be a competition between the media to transgress ethical principles’
Rogério Manjate pointed out that a lot of content broadcast by the media violates ethics, including shocking stories shown at inappropriate times and unprotected images of women and children suffering sexual violations, as well as citizens accused of criminal offences. He emphasised a kind of competitive tendency to push ethical boundaries.
It emphasised the existence of current pressure on sources of information to cover certain issues of public interest and the transformation of news stories into short advertisements. He also denounced the unethical behaviour of journalists who have compromising information about an organisation and blackmail them to make money.
Another issue addressed by Rogério Manjate is the current scenario in which journalists often depend on rides from state and private institutions to cover a particular story. He argued that it is difficult to take an honest approach in the face of these perks offered to journalists and emphasised the need to critically discuss ethics in journalism in a more transparent and responsible way.
Journalist Jeremias Langa, for his part, raises a question about changing values in the profession. He believes that the internet only expands the communication space, but the big problem lies with people with limited thinking, with little or no training in the area. In other words, anyone can write, even without mastering journalistic principles.
Langa questions how an untrained individual can respect ethics. For many, what matters most are ‘likes’ on social networks. Some television stations even neglect ethics in search of popularity, competing with untrained individuals. Truth, rigour, objectivity and professionalism are some of the elements that journalism must respect.
Like Jeremias Langa, Cremilde Massingue emphasised the need to cultivate the habit of checking sources of information. Corruption cannot be accepted.
Poverty should not be used as an excuse for unethical behaviour
During the panel discussion, in the question and answer session, the audience even blamed poverty as one of the main culprits for ethical deviations. Negligence on the part of media regulators and society itself, which values poorly written content, were not left aside.
In response, the panel stressed that poverty is no excuse for unethical behaviour. They said that journalism does not generally provide high incomes, and that journalists should opt for correctness and ethics, even in the face of financial difficulties.
In addition, the importance of a joint effort with society to overcome challenges was emphasised. It suggested that self-regulation be prioritised over external regulation, highlighting the individual and collective responsibility of communication professionals to maintain high ethical standards.
(By Reinaldo Manhice)
