by Joy Solomon

Created on: May 04, 2008

Government regulatory measures against the media should only be imposed if it sees a threat against peace and harmony in the country.Peace and harmony is disturbed when defamation reporting is broadcast or published.Every person on earth should be treated fairly.Freedom of speech does not give anybody the right over others.

Most media today are being blamed for conspiracy and propaganda in its reporting.Reporters should be fair in their reports.Many are on occasion been blamed for using the medium of television and newspaper to further their own personal agendas to discredit the government of the day.

It is true that in some cases misinformation is constantly being fed to the public by journalists who I am sorry to say are too lazy to do their research or are simply working to an agenda that does not involve telling the truth.

It is only fair for any government of the day to censor media to avoid the type of journalism that is a discredit to the public.Even though some may argue that media freedom of speech will be violated if this is so.Remember every freedom goes with responsibility.

Media should be warned that if it will not act responsibly then it must brace itself to face regulatory measures.It is the duty of the state to protect the innocent people who are conned by the media.In a multiracial society the state also has a duty to preserve the fragile fabric of the society.

I think it is right for any government of the day to impose restraints if it feel necessary to protect the public interest.

The basics of reporting news should be paramount to any news reporter.That is to be fair and correct.A one sided story should not be published.Both sides of the story should be reported in order to be fair.

Reporters should be aware that some politicians may want to use the media for their own agenda.Defamation is a very costly sin in any media organization,every reporter should have that in mind.

Government censorship will also encourage reporters to be professional in the way they carry out their job.Lack of professional standards and ethics is common in the media industry today.Media organization should trained its reporters about the code of ethics that they should adhered to.This will in turn promote or upgrade the journalistic standard needed in the industry.

Freedom of speech should not be abused.Every freedom goes with its responsibility.The independence status of the media should be maintain.However it does not mean to be irresponsible in reporting. When a reporter ignores this responsibility he or she will should be ready to face the consequences of his or her irresponsibility.

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