UNESCO Director Urges Media Empowerment for Public Watchdog Role
Delegates from across the globe gather in Cape Town, South Africa, for the four-day African Media Councils Conference, a premier event bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and journalists to discuss pressing issues and innovations shaping the future of media governance and ethics in Africa and beyond.
Cape Town: The Regional Director and UNESCO Representative to Southern Africa Nisha, has emphasized the critical need for navigating legal risks and upholding the media’s fundamental role as society’s public watchdogs, through prioritize the education and empowerment of journalists and editors.
She underscored the importance of fostering responsible, professional, and ethical practices within the industry and highlighted the impact of regulatory impositions on freelance journalism and small-scale media,
Her remarks set the stage for discussions among media stakeholders on the pressing challenges facing the media landscape in today’s complex environment.
Among the delegates from East Africa attending the conference is Ernest Sungura, the Executive Secretary of the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), underscoring the event’s regional significance.
Nisha addressed a growing trend of distrust towards political affiliations within the media, emphasizing the indispensable role of press councils and ombuds in upholding journalistic standards amidst mounting regulatory pressures.
Concerns were raised about the rise of hate speech, privacy breaches, and the diminishing focus on specialized reporting on critical issues such as development, public accountability, and justice.
Delegates engaged in vigorous debates over proposals for licensing systems to regulate journalism, weighing their potential implications on professional integrity and freedom of expression.
The conference concluded with a renewed commitment to combat impunity for crimes against journalists and to foster understanding, trust, and proactive self-regulation within the media industry.