Journalists should be guided by professionalism and morals to avoid losing credibility

With reports that Jerry Muro, the 2009 Tanzanian Journalist of the Year award winner – is in police custody facing allegations of having demanded a Sh10 million bribe according to the media, we can only hope that he - along with others – will get a fair trial as per the rule of law, free of any victimisation.

As we let the law take its course, perhaps it is also a reminder to journalists to ensure that professional ethics are followed to the core whilst performing the journalistic duties of informing, entertaining and educating the public.

According to the Daily News of January 31, Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander Suleiman Kova confirmed the arrest of the TBC journalist, saying he allegedly solicited a 10m/- bribe from former Bagamoyo district council accountant, Mr Michael Wage.

The Citizen of February 02 quoting, Mr Kova, stated that he was arrested on suspicion of having connections with an elaborate extortion and blackmail ring. He also said that the police would refer the matter to the Attorney General after completing their investigations.

Journalists, as the society’s watchdogs, expose social problems that need to be addressed, and may face opposition from groups or individuals that may be bent on ensuring that certain ills are not reported.

It is the fragility of handling such matters that calls for high ethical standards and professionalism in gathering and presenting information, lest we be “bearers of bad news selectively”.

Students of journalism and professionals alike therefore ought to understand the responsibility they hold. Of the many forms of journalism, investigative journalism is not for the faint hearted.

Investigative journalists may be required to use surveillance techniques or investigate technical issues, research social and legal issues, using whistleblowers or anonymous sources and worse still - even going undercover themselves.

Arguably going undercover is the most contentious as it raises many questions: Is it right for a journalist to go undercover? What about invasion of Privacy? Besides many more questions than you can really imagine.

Last month a private matter involving the affairs of American professional and celebrity golfer Tiger Woods became public news, partly because of investigative journalists. The question here is the public’s right to be informed versus Wood’s right to privacy, and to a lesser extent freedom of the press.

Moreover, what constitutes “privacy” may vary, especially when one is a public figure. If for example, an issue is of public interest or at times a private matter is in the public domain - most often than not, invasion of privacy does not arise.

But then again professional and personal ethics come into play and should guide a journalist in doing a job that is morally acceptable. Privacy laws are also different from country to country.

According to The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Handbook (2003), in reference to a case involving undercover journalists: “In a case over a hidden-camera investigation by ABC News (Australia) that revealed a grocery chain's (Food Lion) unsafe practices, a federal appeals court rejected a fraud claim but allowed nominal damages for claims of trespass and breach of the duty of loyalty.

The court said that ABC News employees who had gained employment with the grocer and videotaped nonpublic areas of the store could be liable for only $2 in damages”.

As highlighted on openjurist.org website, in early 1992: “the allegations were that Food Lion employees ground out-of-date beef together with new beef, bleached rank meat to remove its odour, and re-dated (and offered for sale) products not sold before their printed expiration date”.

ABC’s producers recognised the potential the allegations presented as a news story and decided to conduct investigations.

“ABC reporters Lynne Dale (Lynne Litt at the time) and Susan Barnett concluded that they would have a better chance of investigating the allegations if they could become Food Lion employees.

With the approval of their superiors, they proceeded to apply for jobs with the grocery chain, submitting applications with false identities and references and fictitious local addresses.”

With such cases, journalists should be mindful of issues relating to privacy and going undercover in order to ensure that they act within the law when obtaining information.

ARTICLE 1.3 of The International Federation of Journalism believes that media must respect the professional and ethical principles of press freedom upon which the freedom of expression and opinion relies.

It goes further to define press freedom as: "that freedom from restraint which is essential to enable journalists, editors, publishers and broadcasters to advance the public interest by publishing, broadcasting or circulating facts and opinions without which a democratic electorate cannot make responsible judgments."

It is thus right to say that the noblest of professions can only remain credible if professional ethics and personal morals are upheld - and journalism is no exception.