Media warned against bias

African journalists gathered for two weeks in Namibia have been warned against being bias and swayed by emotions when reporting on elections.

Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Malawi are the countries in the region that are going to polls next year.

Professor Tjama Tjivikua, rector of Polytechnic of Namibia (PoN), made the call on Monday when he inaugurated this year’s Journalism Summer School organised by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (Osisa), United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and the host PoN.

“This year, we are preparing for elections and polls are emotional issues. As journalists, you need to report on elections without being bias,” Tjivikua told 25 journalists drawn from several Sadc countries.

Osisa’s Dumisani Moyo, programme manager for media and ICT, implored the journalists to actively play their role as watchdogs of the society.

He gave an example of the massive looting of public money in Malawi as an issue that journalists should have helped to prevent.