Monrovia – Liberia Broadcasting System Director General Ledgerhood J. Rennie is challenging upcoming media practitioners across Liberia to uphold the ethics of journalism in providing a more responsible environment for its practices.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah/[email protected]
Mr. Rennie told students at the Peter Quaqua School of Journalism Wednesday that they have a responsibility in improving and structuring the manpower and human capacity through the provisions of journalism.
According to him, this can be done if the new breed of journalists shift the dimension of their reportage by providing factual and more positive information that can ably foster the country’s future growth.
He warned them about their role as watchdog and service provider, which he said does not place them in the position above the laws.
Rennie informed the group that some journalists in Liberia are sometimes victimized by their own decisions to violate the law.
The LBS Boss stressed the need that media practitioners behave professionally in upholding the public trust by sometimes using their experience in their subject matter to provide facts to the public.
“The credibility of you as a journalist means a whole lot and the cardinal principles of journalism is truth telling,” Rennie said.
According to the Liberian media executive, good journalism depends on fact finding which can be achieved through gathering positive information which Liberia and the world at large prioritize.
He further admonished them against reporting information that has the tendency of putting them in conflict with the law, adding that the only thing that can defend them in court is the truth.
“What I am saying to you my young journalists don’t rush to publish, verify and verify before publishing your story,” Rennie added.
Rennie registered that negative publication by newsmen is unhealthy for the state and can sometimes incite the public against newsmakers or the state, and should not be practiced. He registered that free speech is important but that people are using it negatively.
He also indicated that free speech in Liberia has improved since the times when media practitioners were brutalized and humiliated all because of their opinions.
The LBS boss presented certificate of honor to students at the Peter Quaqua School of Journalism who perform exceptionally during the course of their just ended semester, encouraging them to do more.
Speaking on behalf of the students, Derrick Mason, lauded Mr. Rennie for the visit, noting that it highly impacted them as upcoming journalists.