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"The
role of WMA in the |
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The true
role of the media in a democratic society is tested in war times. At such
times all are tested. The reporter is in a state of constant conflict between
his national identity and the truth from his perspective. The media’s debate
is whether to publish, to what extend and in what manner. It is concerned
with the way the entire public (the news consumers) will perceive unpopular
reports, and worried about being branded as hostile media. It’s a well-known secret that a camera and the presence of a reporter in a heated area may spark a riot. Thus we must raise the following question: is the media merely reporting objectively or does it take an active role in creating the news. There is no doubt that nowadays, the media has a central role in any important event and particularly when in a state of war. It can soften or sharpen, brake or mend and all the above under the title of “objective journalism”. Journalistic expressions play a major role in steering up or quenching emotions. It’s a known fact that one can describe an event “objectively” however by using word play, or special expressions will give an entire different range of images. In this age of “rating” the so-called objective true report, will be more likely expressed in harsh and extreme terminology. Thus we must exercise gentleness to soften and calm the atmosphere. Among those questions we must again ask ourselves: am I a human being? What are the duties of a reporter or a photographer who find themselves in the midst of an event? Should their duties to report and photograph, override their human responsibility to try and save whatever they can? I’m afraid we all know and fear the answer. It’s all to often that we see ourselves as tools and not humans. Spilled blood is a good story; a tranquil environment is just to “anemic”. This is exactly where our role as WMA members lays. We must make the media human, living and breathing. Articles that you can put on your dinner table while the entire family sits around. Journalism is to be a synonym to values. It should educate and become a leading factor in building a culture of peace. Where war and blood are, culture does not exist. As WMA representatives in This is our calling and our mission. Thus we must seek every conceivable way, to bring it to the consciences of the media in our region. |
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