Press Freedom and Globalisation - International Press Institute

Press Freedom and Globalisation
should be limited just as liberal democracies had done in wartime. 100 Besides these,
Tanzanian media were bound by development as a national ideology. 101 Thoughts similar
to Nyerere’s wrapped into such terms as ‘national unity’ became widespread in Africa. 102
Put to an extreme it could be interpreted as building loyalty to the ‘national father’ as
during President Daniel arap Moi’s regime in Kenya. 103 However, press freedom and
media have been inextricably connected with a development agenda in Africa. 104
‘Development journalism’ seems initially to be in tune with ‘social responsibility’
but this is not necessarily the case. First there are assumptions that the audience will
behave in expected ways, that they would accept media’s messages, and that media’s
content would empower people to develop. It does not always happen. 105 In addition, it is
argued that development issues do not work as attractive content in a way demanded by
commercialised news values. 106 Second, ‘development journalism’ is said to be just
another idea of the authoritarian press system which was a Soviet practice. 107
‘Development’ will determine the framework for ‘truth’. Such a philosophy can be used to
justify lying and limit information flow to ‘pedagogically skilful’ content. So, media’s role
can be controlled to stabilise the regime and journalists would not be allowed to critisise. 108
The whole game of building national image by using national and international
media is included in this objection. 109 Development journalism was used as a term to alter
100
Mytton, Mass Communication in Africa, p. 59.
101
Kivikuru, “From State Socialism to Deregulation”, p. 150.
102
Makali (ed.), Media Law and Practice, p. 80.
103
Ochieng, I Accuse the Press, pp. 117-118.
104
Okolo, Dan Edogbo, “Agenda Setting Role of the Mass Media in Political Reporting” in Okigbo, Charles
(ed.), Reporting Politics and Public Affairs (Nairobi: The African Council for Communication Education,
1994), pp. 31 and 34.
105
Ochilo, “Africa : Perspectives for Editorial Independence”, p. 45.
106
Poland, Kate, “Development Moments: Radio’s Public Face of Development” in Journal of International
Development (West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons, 2004) volume 16, number 5, July 2004, p. 714.
107
Retief, Johan, Media Ethics : An Introduction to Responsible Journalism (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2002), pp. 17 and 21.
108
Kunczik, “Closing remarks: Is there an international ethics of journalism?”, pp. 251-255.
109
Boyd-Barrett and Rantanen, “The Globalization of News”, p. 5; and Dunn, Kevin C, Imaging the Congo :
the international relations of identity (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), pp. 3 and 124.
95