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The media is referred to as the fourth estate after the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, emphasising its critical role when it comes to issues of governance. Its mandate is to inform educate and entertain. Society therefore looks up to the media for information, education and entertainment.

It is only when society is given correct information that it can make informed decisions. The media should therefore be under the control of professional men and women who uphold media ethics. The media can build or destroy communities, a confirmation of the sensitivity of the effects of media products.

Individuals who have chosen journalism as a  profession, career, should strive to uphold media ethics. It is sad to learn that the media this year was characterised by low ethical standards.

Addressing journalists at  an end-of-year reception hosted by his ministry in Harare on Wednesday, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Christopher Mushohwe, said the media was failing to maintain ethical standards and his worry was that there were signs of this  persisitng in the New Year. “If the truth be said, the industry remains in the throes of an ethical morass, with editorial practices which verge on blatant lapses in professionalism going uncorrected,” he said.

Minister Mushohwe said the media needs genuine editorial leadership going forward. He said it was against this background that he was calling on media houses to invest in programmes that promote high ethical standards next year.

The Minister said a combination of re-training, rigorous in-house standards, shareholder guidance and genuine editorial leadership will help improve the perfomance of the media. Dr Mushowe said he believed in self-regulation by the media but this could only work if the journalists uphold media ethics. We cannot ask for more from Dr Mushowe.

The media has over the years been clamouring for self-regulation and their own Minister is saying he fully supports that. The onus therefore is on each and every journalist to strive to maintian high ethical standards. It has been argued that if other professionals such as lawyers can self-regulate why should journalists fail?

The media should demonstrate that as the fourth arm of Government, it has the capacity to deliver like the rest and has men and women who are not only professionals but are also responsible. Society expects nothing less than what it has mandated the media to do.