It seems to me the profession of journalism has gone bananas in Sierra Leone. Things were bad when I was there but what is happening now is far worse, it’s as if some of the journalists in the country have been infected with some kind of virus that makes them break all the rules of the profession, on a daily basis, without control or sanction from the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and the Independent Media Commission (IMC).
I think the SLAJ executive should tell the nation what they mean by "Journalist" or who their members are because what I am observing is that any monkey with a pen and microphone would call themselves a journalist in Sierra Leone today; they don’t even have to be SLAJ members. I think this is one of the reasons why there is so much friction between journalists and people in authority in the country these days.
Apart from horrible grammatical and spelling "mistakes" in the country’s newspapers, there are tons of clearly libelous articles, open insults, threats,completely biased reportage and so on. It’s like a zoo out there.
Other professions like Law, Medicine and so forth have basic requirements for membership and, in most countries, to be recognized as a journalist, you have to have some training in journalism or at least a couple of years experience working in a news room under the supervision of experienced journalists called editors.
But in Sierra Leone today, it seems to me, all a criminal or hustler has to do is write a few articles in a newspaper or do one or two interviews in a radio station and hey, presto, they are journalists!. Is it any wonder that these monkeys get into trouble almost every day? Even known politicians, writing all sorts of trash to score political points, are now calling themselves journalists.
I think SLAJ should be serious and draw the line or else, sooner or later the rest of the world would see them as clowns presiding over a bunch of clowns with pens and microphones. Things are becoming more and more ridiculous each day out there and by the time we approach the elections in 2012, some of these yahoos calling themselves journalists would escape from the zoo and start attacking people in the streets and in their houses. I am not kidding; there will be total chaos. Armageddon.
SLAJ should identify their members now before it’s too late; doing that will force newspaper proprietors and owners of radio and television stations to be more careful on who they employ, who they allow to write on their pages, and speak into their microphones. They would also be more strict on who they give their identification cards. It will also force these employers to look for trained and experienced journalists or to train their recruits themselves on the basics of the profession.
SLAJ should print a list of all their members on their website (as the lawyers have done) and send the link to all government and non-governmental agencies. Such a list should also be published and broadcast from time to time as and when it’s upgraded. Yes, bad situations require radical and unconventional remedies. People practising journalism in the country who don’t want to join SLAJ should be designated as such; non-SLAJ members, under the protection of civil society and the laws of the land.
It’s ridiculous for SLAJ to defend any Jack and Jill calling themselves journalists. The Wikileaks guy, Julian Assange, would have been called a journalist if he were in Sierra Leone. That’s how stupid the profession has become in that country. In the West, nobody calls Assange a journalist; his predicament is considered a human rights issue by the Western media and Western journalists.
I suggest SLAJ should begin to look at things the same way. Defend recognized journalists and at the same time defend, by joint action, together with civil society, people (non-journalists) who write for newspapers and magazines and speak on radio and television when such people get into trouble or are persecuted.
Calling everybody a journalist is stupid, counterproductive and ultimately destructive for the profession and for genuine and hardworking journalists in the country. It would also drive away quality people from the profession. Who wants to be identified with such hyenas?
I would like also like to call on the authorities to stop calling everybody that writes in a newspaper and speaks on radio and television journalists; they should ask for identification when confronted by such people and if they have a problem with any journalist they should call their superiors, the editors and proprietors, not the police. Complaints could also be made to SLAJ and the IMC. Not to the police.
Of course matters involving non-journalists or people posing as journalists should be referred to the police. Like the case of the fellow who not too long ago was calling himself the president of SLAJ, happily collecting money on behalf of SLAJ, threatening people here and there...until he was arrested. Jesus.
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