Reclaiming Media Credibility: Examining the Efficacy of Virtue Ethics in the Zambian Media---A Case Study of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and the POST Newspaper
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Date
2014-10-17
Authors
Gondwe, Gregory
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Tales of unethical reporting, conflict of interest, biases and corruption characterize media practice in Zambia today. The advent of technology and the mushrooming of media houses have ironically magnified this trend. Such tendencies have compromised ethical reporting, thus undermining the journalistic credibility. While some scholars call for a return to African ethics, others hanker for greater professionalism. This study offers an overview of the media in Zambia with Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation and the POST newspaper as its case study. The study looks at how virtue ethics would be effective in reclaiming media credibility. Using qualitative methods, data were collected via theoretical and methodological triangulation. Open-ended questions were designed and distributed among 10 Zambian journalists. The interviews were conducted within a period of one month. Findings indicated that media credibility in Zambia has reached unprecedented levels of suspicion and that virtue ethics, if well applied, would redeem the lost credibility.
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Keywords
African philosophy, Afri-ethics, Media credibility, Virtue ethics, Zambian Media