By Hassan I. Conteh
On the eve of national election in Sierra Leone, media regulators have cautioned newspapers, radios, televisions, online media journalists to be highly ‘responsible’ in their coverage.
The media seem to be largely polarized as it is left just a week to the country’s national elections.
For example, newspapers’ headlines on Friday June 16 dominantly captured political stories than human interests and development stories, just a day after media houses were admonished to be fair, objective and balance by their regulator, Independent Media Commission (IMC).
Certain newspapers and radio stations across the country continue to cover political stories at a time the ruling party and opposition parties seem to be at ‘war on words’.
At a recent media workshop, the commission told journalists that a compliance with IMC several media regulations and the new media regulatory law, IMC Print and Electronic Media Regulations of 2022, needed to be taken seriously while performing their functions.
A lecturer and a commissioner of the media regulator, James Tamba Lebbie, cautioned journalists to read the new law in order not to ‘fall prey’ with the regulations contained in the act.
However, since journalists have the moral duty to ‘minimize harm’ in their reporting of controversial issues, wars, crime, etc, it behooves them to perform an equal role in political matters.
One shining example of how the media regulator in Sierra Leone had responded to minimizing the harm on society on the eve of election was the banning of live-phone-in programmes by three radio stations operating in the east of Freetown.
“Based on several concerns raised by the general public and talking into consideration the responsibility they bear as broadcast institutions to maintain the peace of Sierra Leone, the Commission has deemed it necessary to suspend all live, phone-in programmes on Tumac, Justice and Citizen radios during this electioneering period until further notice…Since these radio stations lack the required equipment to screen incoming calls before putting callers on air…all live phone-in programmes are suspended effective immediately….,’’ a press statement by IMC partially reads.
In this regard, as journalists, bloggers on Facebook and on the web, responsible citizens using Whatsapps, we must equally act to minimise harm and fear on people and stop sharing fake news and rumours especially at this critical time and at all time.
On the aspects of traditional media, the media regulatory body had warned media owners that headlines of their newspapers must ensure diversity of content as other issues on health, tourism, housing, traffic, and environment are also important to readers, listeners and viewers.
‘’The print and electronic media must cover all phases of the ongoing political campaigns…journalists must not only capture political comments made by politicians but must report on other governance issues…as the nation heads to election, the atmosphere is toxic,’’ said James Tamba Lebbie.