Thinking about

MEDIAas a resource for

integrity

Since…

WATERGATEWe all expect journalists to

safeguard public

integrity

It was not always so:

History There was the “yellow” press& the “nation-building” press

And the oppressive

press:

apartheid south africa

The media = an Institution,But journalists are People Some are BraveAndTrue

LIVES ON, powerfully

= Media as a (self-appointed)

But the LEGEND

Watchdog

There’s another profession that

promotes integrity:

Auditors

But: recall the late firm of

Arthur Andersen which gave

Enron a clean bill of health.

Are our media equally guilty?

…of creating a climate of war,

of tolerating WTO unequal

standards, underplaying

environmental damage, failing

to suggest solutions?

For media to proclaim on the

health of society, its own

health needs to be in order.

Yet …

Media integrity is not a

legal requirement:

Free speechcovers the

“bad” as well as “good”

In a democracy, it is an entirely

voluntary obligation

More media = more voices.

But also more competition & more commercialisation- trivia, celebs, spectacle,

sensation

In this cacophony, are

there any volunteers to

guard the guardians?(Bloggers are a 5th estate

to keep an eye on the 4th estate. But how credible are

they?)

Those within the 4th estate itself also need to keep

focus

Too easily, journalists &

owners go the route of

pandering to the market:

“What the readers &

viewers want; consumer is

king”.But how about

leading the market?

Too often, journalists hide behind “ethics” of getting the story at any

cost,

or: “objectivity” that lacks social

responsibility.But there are no ethics without

values.

No time for cynicism …

It is about making informed CHOICES. About practicising

respect for the “legend” that media

can build public integrity.

Here’s HELP …

Dealing with stories

•H – eart•E – xternalise•L – ook again•P – ossibilities

Finding inspirationto stay true to what you know is right

Individual integrity = the heart of media for producers & consumers

Thank you,Thank Nat Nakasa.

Guy Berger