MAINTAIN INTEGRITY

Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Public Affairs, Lucille Moe wants local journalists to continue to be committed to maintaining a high level of integrity when reporting news to the public.

Her comments came as she addressed the pre-Christmas meeting of the Barbados Association of Journalists and Media Workers (BARJAM) on Friday night at the Embassy of Argentina, Lucerne Building, Hastings, Christ Church.

“I encourage you to recommit to integrity, the hallmark of every noble profession, and to the highest ethics. The accountability, fairness, the public trust that you currently enjoy must, by your very behaviour and performance, carry the profession to even higher heights in 2020.”

Moe also encouraged journalists and media workers to continue to take their “role seriously by helping our country to transition through this current phase and beyond. Your contribution, in this regard, is to remain committed to the principle of integrity in reporting news to the public.”

She added she is of the view that “at this critical juncture in the life of our country, the media can be a vital partner in imparting information that is developmental in nature. With the digital platforms, which many media houses are utilizing to broaden their reach, you have the ability to exercise even greater influence not only at home but in the diaspora as well.”

The Information, Broadcasting and Public Affairs Minister in her remarks spoke to the vision she has for BARJAM in 2020. She made the suggestion that the organisation should develop codes of conduct to ensure continually high standards are maintained by the media fraternity.

“I would like to suggest to you that, if you have not already done so, you develop formal and structured codes of conduct as well as consequences for breaches of those codes to be followed by all of your members. This would indeed assist in maintaining and improving on the high standards to which we have grown accustomed.” (MG)