First Annual CIME Forum on Media Ethics: The Vision Comes True

By Rachael Small

Last February 2009 in Cotonou, Benin, CIME's vision to provide a forum for discussion and training in ethics for media professionals found footing in a formal context: the first annual CIME Forum on Media Ethics finally took place.

Long before the journalists and panelists arrived, CIME staff members flew in from the United States and the United Kingdom to make the final preparations. With the help of the Maison des Médias of Cotonou and Golfe TV, they were able to finalize the venue, prepare welcome packets, readings, and other materials, and take care of any last-minute odds and ends that presented themselves.

Physical preparations in order, they set out across Cotonou to talk to a variety of media sources and drum up even more support for the cause. On the morning of the main event, CIME's President and Director ran a press conference to cement participation and interest.

Amid power outages and limited technological resources that underscored the difficulties faced by media in emerging democracies, the CIME Forum 2009 went off without a hitch. Forty journalists, three CIME staff members and a number of distinguished panelists came together in the conference room of the Hotel Vickenfel to discuss the ethical challenges faced by journalists in elections reporting, challenges that are especially prevalent and poignant in emerging democracies. According to CIME Project Manager Kate Newman, this experience brought together the variety of press in the country, from larger, multimedia networks to small radio stations. Journalists from all different levels society touched base at the CIME Forum 2009 to develop an appreciation for the great value put on an ethical press in West Africa.

Panel discussion topics included “Self-regulation of the media in elections reporting”; “The journalist’s social responsibility”; “The Internet in elections reporting”; and “Pitfalls in reporting for investigative journalism”. Panelists rotated between discussions and included Benin-based BBC Correspondent Esther Tola, Hermès Gbaguidi of LC2 television, Christophe Assogba of L’Evènement Précis, and Olga Kokodé of Golfe TV. Also present as panelists were Gérard Guédègbe, the Secretary General at the Forum of African Investigative Reporting FAIR, based in Benin and South Africa, Franck Assah of Panapress Panafricain in Togo, and Mike Serwornoo of the ATL University of Cape Coast in Ghana.

Attendees “appreciated the straightforward collaboration that took place between the participants and instructors”, as panelists focused on sharing stories from their own personal experience. The question of money presented itself as a prevalent concern among many panelists and participants. Journalists are hard working, highly educated professionals who are often trying to support a family on a meager salary. Under such circumstances, carrying out ethical journalism becomes especially tricky and concrete. The physical reality of survival and standard of living poses a serious challenge to the moral concerns in journalism, which are no less important and have a wider-spread impact.

The morning of the second day was spent in a live session of CIME’s training course CIME Communication Methods (CCM), run by Director Melisande Middleton. Beginning with a discussion of key terms such as “media”, “democracy”, and “ethics”, participants became better informed on key concepts and strategies in the field of media ethics. The session concluded with a discussion of case studies in the media’s social responsibility, including the RCTV controversy in Venezuela in 2007, the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, and the recent BBC Gaza appeal controversy at the start of 2009.

Most of the participants came from within the host country of Benin, though a number of other countries were represented including Togo, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, and Germany. The openness of the Forum was exemplified when, during the closing ceremonies, one participant stood up and shared a poem he had written on the spot. He called the event, “un forum pour dire haut et fort tout ce qui est tic de l’éthique”, a forum to say loud and strong all that is timely in ethics.

A successful first annual CIME Forum completed, plans are already in the works for the CIME Forum 2010. With lessons learned and feedback received from the first conference, the CIME staff is refreshed, motivated, and prepared to improve on the model they have created, whose inspirational and transitional power has already been proven. For, as one participant said, “it’s important to occasionally discuss among journalists the issues tied to the practice of our trade in order to inform each other, share our experiences, and improve".