Editorial

It is now apparently clear that the President, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh has nothing against journalism but rather interested in seeing journalists execute their profession in a responsible manner. The president's move to pardon the six journalists who have been convicted by the constitutional court for sedition and criminal deformation has again gone down in the annals of our history, illumining his strong commitment to promoting the integrity and dignity of Gambians, as well as his devotion to fostering development at all levels of society.

Those who uphold the blind philosophy that the fate of the six journalists lie on outside intervention are today wallowing in shame; they have been proven wrong. The move to pardon the journalists is born out of the generosity and the great ambitions of the president to meet the needs and aspirations of each and every  patriotic Gambian. Besides, The Gambia is an independent sovereign state; our actions cannot be determined by any outside interference. We hope people will erase such obsolete ideas from memory. However, as we witnessed the release of the convicted journalists from jail, the media fraternity has to put at the back of their mine that journalism should not be used as a tool to retard social progress. Responsible journalism is what should guide our actions as the media should be regarded as  a partner in development.  

Every freedom has  a corresponding responsibility. The style of journalism that is bent on using freedom of expression as a cover up to  ridicule the presidency and to antagonise societal progress on no just course is not in any way in line with the ethics of decent journalism.  The office of the president is the most significant in the country; it deserves great respect. Even those so called democracies who claim to champion the course of freedom have great respect for their leadership. We have seen how irresponsible journalism tears Rwanda apart, we should not allow such a style of journalism to be our trade mark.

The press release that contains the news has made it clear: 'The exercise of freedom of expression should be done responsibly. Journalists should understand that freedom of expression does not in any way mean being above the law or immunity from prosecution when they violate the laws of the land by infringing the rights of others or being disrespectful to the persons of others more so the president'. After all, journalism calls for providing society with information that will equip them to take centre stage in the national development process and not to use the might of the pen to rubbish decent people.

It is therefore, time that the media fraternity utilized this golden opportunity to reconcile and dialogue with the powers that be, so that the country will not only be a bastion of decent journalism but can also serve as a catalyst to expedite our collective development process. We also wish to congratulate the Point newspaper for accepting the truth in good faith and commending the president for his generosity. The Point has not only acted professionally, but also manifested that they are journalists of substance. No matter how a newspaper chooses to be critical, it must do so in an objective and responsible manner. Acknowledging the good deeds of the status quo is crucial in that respect.   This is what decent journalism preaches.

However, we found it unfortunate that others still choose to  turn blind eye to the truth and still remained antagonistic. It is in the best interest of progress and development for politicians to distance themselves from masking behind journalism in pursuit of their interest.  The pardoning of the journalists came at a time when it was the least expected. What is expected of the media fraternity is to reciprocate the president's goodwill gesture and not to use the occasion as a nursery for political propaganda. This is the time for dialogue and reconciliation and not otherwise.