The Director General of the German International broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, Peter Limbourg, has called on journalists and other media people not to be afraid of the internet, but use it to trigger socio-economic, cultural and political changes in the world.
He made the call during the 2014 Deutsche Welle Media Forum that took place in Bonn, Germany recently. While harping on the important role the internet plays on the information society. “We should not fear the internet, but use it to change the world", Limbourg said. He said the social media as a whole plays an important role in addressing conflicts in various parts of the world.
To him, the internet forms the basis of the media for both information and participation. The Deutsche Welle boss said the internet is a double-edged sword because it is both an opportunity and a threat at the same time. He warned that the misuse of the internet remains a global threat. When internet is misused, he went on; it robs people of their privacy and threatens public liberty.
Even in the face of such a situation, Limbourg said, censorship was uncalled for and totally unacceptable. Taking exception to those who said journalism will soon lose its relevance to the social media, Limbourg said journalism is a profession wherein people are trained to collect, treat and disseminate information through the various forms of the mass media. “We need trained journalists and ethics to make the benchmarks,” he averred.
Equally addressing the forum, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, said the social media will enhance the critical participation of citizens in political affairs in various countries and connect people globally.
He said human rights are at risk when the internet is abused and misused. He said the violation of the rights of privacy in the internet, warrants the protection of personal data. According to him, the spying on people in internet is unacceptable and its time to rethink the use of the internet and how it affects journalism.
Another speaker at the occasion was the Egyptian political satirist, Youssef Bassem who told the forum that his satirical programme on television was suspended by the Egyptian authorities because it was critical and appealing to the masses. He said he used political satire to inform the public on the follies of the Egyptian regime. Going by him, what caused the authorities to suspend his programme was fear; adding that the programme was stigmatised as a sin against God and a threat to the very fabric of the society.
He said the regime’s fear can easily take away human rights and make human rights become very indecent words. Bassem said, “Fear might sell and might work out, but will eventually face its defeat by vibrant young people who will not give into it.” He added that fear is the most effective of all weapons that can sell fascism and undermine human rights.
While examining the future of journalism vis a vis the rise of the social media, one German publisher, Dr. Mathias Dopfner, said the international publishing landscape is undergoing a transformation because of the digital age. He said the traditional media still have their place despite such a new dispensation; explaining that when television was invented; many predicted the death of the newspaper, but it has continued to survive many decades after.
Going by Dopfner, the newspaper will continue to survive even with the rise of social media. He disagreed with those who claimed that the social media were a threat to traditional journalism. “Amateurs, bloggers, cannot replace professional journalists. People will always like to receive information from competent and well researched sources”. He said the future of journalism belongs to journalists who shape the profession and make use of opportunities provided by the internet.
Participants at the media forum agreed that the traditional media need to prioritise accuracy and not speed in their noble role of informing, educating and entertaining the public. This, they must do in order to distance themselves from the madding crowd of bloggers in the social media.
