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The moderators during the DVC
(Photo: Yacouba Soro/US embassy) |
DVC on the Role of Media on Rumors Management for Journalists
To scrutinize the role of the media in rumor management and to strengthen free and independent journalism in Cote d’Ivoire, the American Cultural center invited a select group of 30 young Ivoirian journalists from both public and private media for a discussion with American University of Paris journalism professor, Georges Kazolias.
The December 4 program was moderated by a former International Visitor and a veteran journalist, who is also a former director of RTI-TV, a state-owned television network. As Cote d’Ivoire is fully engaged in a peace process that should pave the way for general elections to be held tentatively next year, the three speakers urged participants to become more professional by "checking and cross-checking" news from different sources before their publication. "Rumors should only serve as a source of idea for investigation," advised professor Kazolias.
The dynamic dialogue focused especially on the realities of being a reporter in Africa, and Cote d’Ivoire in particular, where the media is highly politicized. These include: physical attacks, verbal abuse, official animosity, legal threats, partisan papers, poor training, rumor mongering, and threat of job loss, turning most journalists into mouthpieces for political leaders. Encouragement, understanding, and good advice were exchanged throughout this DVC, and everyone felt the program was an opportunity to have a better understanding of how to distinguish a rumor from a fact.
Participants as well as local speakers asked the American Cultural Center to conduct a follow-up program on the same topics and on other media-related issues by inviting Professor Kazolias to Cote d’Ivoire. Though he couldn’t attend the program, the Ivoirian Minister of Communication said he heard reports about the DVC on ONUCI-FM (an UN-run radio). "That was an outstanding program," he said. The minister also asked the American Cultural Center to organize another conference on the same issue by inviting not only journalists, but also members of civic groups and political leaders.
