The confusion that led to the postponement of elections for new Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Malawi Chapter national governing council (NGC) at it’s annual general meeting held in Lilongwe on May 6 provides leads to a great deal of factors that have systematically abducted the entire domestic media landscape.
Journalists and all that ply their trade in the media are professionals, hence the need to cultivate and uplift integrity, sanity and credence at all times. The hunger for power ought not to eclipse the common values all media practitioners stand for.
In as much as tension in any leadership race is a healthy ‘conflict’ that helps to examine a leader’s capabilities, professionals should be the last to act like thugs. So much has been said, so much has been written but above all, it is the unsaid that ought to worry members of Misa-Malawi Chapter because the long built legacy, credibility and sanity of professionals has been diluted.
One wonders whether it should be concluded that long at last the invisible hand of politics has managed to visibly ridicule the noble profession and cause public shame. This actually begs questions: What remains of media professionals now? Who are we? For how long shall we let wolves torment sheep?
One may further ask: What is it in Misa leadership?
The Misa-Malawi Chapter family has simply provided comprehensive leads that journalists/media practitioners are their own enemies.
Politics is deemed dirty, but Misa-Malawi Chapter elections have just soiled the media. It is high time that what unites the media family in Malawi reigned greater than what divides it. Greed and selfishness will only leave the profession in tatters of a lost credibility that was built with a lot of sacrifice by the veterans.
It is not too late to clean up the mess, there is need to join hands to save and serve the media industry. It is the responsibility of every Misa-Malawi Chapter member to take part in restoring the sanity in the profession. It is time for reality check in the aftermath of the Misa-Malawi Chapter elections mess.
All in all, there is need to sober up and identify possible factors that might have stimulated the mess, then collectively address them so that sanity, credibility and integrity reign. The current state of affairs has pushed the bar to its lowest.
This is the time for the media fraternity to rise and be tolerant, and together rise from the ashes to combat interference. Mediocrity should not be tamed in the industry, Misa-Malawi Chapter members must vow to protect professional sanity with passion.
As days unfold, the media should remember that they are a crucial component in democracy, a weak media industry equals a weak democracy. The media is key in uplifting democracy, hence the need for all media professionals to remember and hold on dearly to their constitutional duty.
We must reason and never allow emotions to take control. The only hope for a united media lies in the Misa- Malawi Chapter. n
