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12 Oct 2015
12 October 2015<br />
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Journalist and Director of the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) Aidan White said the world of media and journalism has lost sight of the importance of quality journalism and that it was facing a crisis of confidence about its future.<br />
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Addressing students at the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) on Monday, 12 October, White noted that the big issue of the day was hate<br />
speech which can be found in political dialogue and news reporting on issues such as migration and refugees as well as misogyny. He highlighted the importance of EJN in countering attempts by the media to spread hate speech and demonize Muslim communities around the world, by promoting ethics, good governance and independent regulation of media content. <br />
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He said, “journalism is not free expression, but is expression in a framework of values.” Individuals have a right to express themselves freely, but journalists’ work is governed by five main principles: accuracy, independence, impartiality, humanity and accountability. He urged students to defend the profession by understanding that just because someone says something outrageous makes it newsworthy. They needed to evaluate the status of the speaker, the reach of the speech, the intention behind the remarks, their content and form, and the social and political context.<br />
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He noted that Jordan, which is at the center of regional politics and disputes, would be ideal to launch public policy debate that includes not just journalists, but academics, civil society and religious media and religious leaders. He stressed the need to build a coalition to promote voluntary restraint as a policy instead of using the law and to support and encourage individual journalists to be ethical in their coverage.<br />
White’s visit is part of JMI’s lecture series and efforts to promote good journalism standards in the Arab world and to provide students with the opportunity to meet experienced journalists and individuals who have a story to share. <br />
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Answering questions by the students, White, who was secretary general of the International Federation of Journalists, warned against the toxic mix of politicians who promote hate speech and want to be popular, and the media that is looking for sensational stories. They should be countered by a strong coalition for ethical journalism. The internet has been taken over by governments, and today more and more governments are turning to propaganda, he said. Therefore, he added, it was important for journalists to be independent and to help people identify what is propaganda, and to counter efforts by special interests to control the media.<br />
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The EJN was formed in 2011 as a unifying professional campaign bringing together owners, editors and media staff to strengthen the craft of journalism. It works across all platforms and supports partnership at national and international level between media, journalism support groups and the public.