Visiting Professor, Local Journalists Exchange Views on Media Ethics (10/17/07)

Integrity and ethics in government and media are crucial to democracy.  This was the core message in a lecture by Professor Mekonen Haddis to media practitioners in Addis Ababa this week.  As part of a speaking tour, Professor Mekonen lectured about “Ethics in Government and Ethics in Media” to a crowd of print and broadcast journalists at the U.S. Embassy on October 17.

In his talk, Professor Mekonen stressed the role of ethical behavior and transparency in a democratic government.  He defined an “ethical government” as one that is open and accountable, and protects all of its citizens.  He provided a brief history of the Code of Ethics for United States government employees, first adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1958.  (Learn more at http://www.usoge.gov/home.html) He noted that fair and transparent procedures for government procedures build public trust.  

Professor Mekonen focused on government-media relations, noting that both parties have ethical obligations.  A government, he said, has the social responsibility to answer questions from the media, to share information.  Conversely, the media must be professional, and take seriously their role as educators of the public. 

Professor Mekonen called on journalists to be balanced in their reporting, criticizing when necessary but also covering positive developments.  He urged media practitioners to be responsible, doing research to ensure accuracy and context in reports, and correcting any mistakes they might publish.  The professor summed up the importance of responsible press by saying journalists have a lot of power, and they must use it properly. 

Following the presentation, journalists posed questions about the applicability of the U.S. media experience to other countries, the distinction in the United States between private and public press, the direction of global media development, and how the media can contribute to societal development.

Professor Mekonen is visiting Ethiopia from Maryland, where he owns a management, business and political consulting firm.  Prior to starting his own business, he was an Adjunct Professor at Bowie State University in the Department of History and Politics.  He taught courses in political philosophy, world civilization, African-American history, political science and international studies.  In addition to his academic publications on foreign policy, Professor Mekonen has written hundreds of poems.