Media, Ethics and national interests

Abstract

I. Introduction In discussing this topic, it would be appropriate to examine the context in which the three concepts of national interest, media and ethics operate. The context is one of states or geographical territories having independent and sovereign political systems that are designed to safeguard the interests of the people within that political entity. Within that entity are rules and norms on how that entity is to preserve and protect itself from all types of threats and, as much as possible, advance its interests. In those rules and norms is what is perceived to be fair, decent, and respectable within that society. This is what constitutes ethics and entails a sense of basic honesty in what one does. Ethical behaviour becomes social cement for that society especially in the use of the many tools at the society’s disposal. Among such tools are the educational systems through which the youth are taught, and their heads are inculcated with, that society’s values, beliefs, traditions, norms and what it is that constitutes proper behaviour. Other tools include all the types of media available to that society to propagate and defend interests. The media, therefore, are not supposed to undermine the polity in which they operate. They are supposed to operate ethically in the defence of national interests that include promoting a sense of nationhood. National interests refer to the well being of the country in terms of security from internal and external threats; well run economy, socio-cultural cohesion, good governance, and national image. Among the key instruments for advancing national interests are the media which are like conveyor belts through which information and messages are passed from one area or person to another. In this sense, different media are tools and as tools, they are innocent. Their importance is in the use to which they are put and by whom and for what purpose. And that is where journalism comes in. Theoretically, journalism is a profession whose purpose is to keep a public journal of events for public consumption and for public record. Other related purposes are to entertain, to educate and to empower the reader or the recipient of that information. As an agent of empowerment, journalism becomes very powerful. Being very powerful necessitates journalism, as a profession, to be responsible but a question arises as to whether it has a philosophy to guide it. Given that for the most part journalism started as a craft, there are occasional doubts as to whether it has evolved from being merely a craft or technique of keeping records or journals. The distinction between technique and philosophy is important since there was a time when practitioners of journalism were thought to be failures in other areas.1