Journalists as modern day Prophets
February 22 2018 By Abiodun Giwa
Police in pursuit of a Journalist in Uganda (Courtsey:Daily Monitor)
Choosing to be a journalist in the Central American countries is almost equivalent to signing the death warrant, with announcement of death so consistent. Thanks to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, CPJ, timely interventions to stop the Augean Stable.
Although it is not only in the Central American countries that the rulers are after the journalists, but one often wonder why the so called Central American countries, so close to the citadel of democracy and freedom of speech in the United States, have not learnt or imitate development in the U.S?
One can forgive countries like Nigeria, Uganda and Angola, where practicing journalism is also akin to invitation to trouble, because those countries seem to be far away from the citadel of freedom and freedom of expression and speech. Yet, being far away is no excuse for so much hatred for truth.
In Uganda, criticizing the attorney general is a crime. An Angolan journalist, Rafael Marquis de Morais has been arraigned for that reason, according to a BBC news report. It is not he first time Morais has faced trouble for writing a piece of criticism. He had once spent 11 days in incarceration for criticizing the government.
In Uganda, information on twitter shows police and reporters on what seems like a relay race on the street, with reporters running and police in hot pursuit. Reporters' crime is that they have gone to cover the trial of a police chief and police don't want the truth told, a sort of Prior Restraint against speech, a form of law enforcement application against speech, thrown into the abyss several hundred years ago in the U.S, with the introduction of the First Amendment.
Question is whether it is professionally acceptable for the reporters to run in the way Ugandan reporters run for the police to come in hot pursuit. Would running not capable of placing them in dangers more than if they have waited for police to arrest them and fight the matter out in a court of law? Does running from police not constitute an admission of guilt and aware of committing an offense, when reporting the truth is not supposed to constitute an offense? of course, with the fear of incarceration without trial or death, no one will blame the journalist for running!
Beginning with the Angolan Morais case for a piece of criticism against the attorney general. Reports says that has been the situation in the country over a long period before emergence of a new leader and people think things will change with the coming of a new leader, but things have not changed. Meaning that hating and punishing the truth has become a culture in Angola, just like it is in many other countries where publishing the truth is a crime.
The American Bar Association, ABA, expresses surprise about the continuation of punishing reporters for the truth in Angola with the emergence of a new leader, according to the BBC news report. But doesn't the ABA sees the gulf of difference between the laws applicable in Angola and the laws in the U.S? Is there any similarity between the two countries, when it is considered that the law in the U.S does not allow application of prior restraint or punishment for political speech, unlike Angola?
It is like comparing Nigeria and the United States in term of free speech and press freedom, despite many unresolved journalists' murders in Nigeria and a seeming crime that criticizing police chief in Nigeria has assumed. Of course it is no longer strange that great men with feet of clay hate the truth and will do anything, including murder, to cover their evil.
This trend makes journalists the modern day true Prophets, hated by those in authority and their accomplices in crimes against humanity. The trend started in the old testament days in the Bible, when true prophets who told the truth were punished and the false prophets enjoyed the patronage of rulers. It continued with the crucifixion of Christ and continued still with the punishing of his disciples, and unto the modern day journalists.
Although it is not only in the Central American countries that the rulers are after the journalists, but one often wonder why the so called Central American countries, so close to the citadel of democracy and freedom of speech in the United States, have not learnt or imitate development in the U.S?
One can forgive countries like Nigeria, Uganda and Angola, where practicing journalism is also akin to invitation to trouble, because those countries seem to be far away from the citadel of freedom and freedom of expression and speech. Yet, being far away is no excuse for so much hatred for truth.
In Uganda, criticizing the attorney general is a crime. An Angolan journalist, Rafael Marquis de Morais has been arraigned for that reason, according to a BBC news report. It is not he first time Morais has faced trouble for writing a piece of criticism. He had once spent 11 days in incarceration for criticizing the government.
In Uganda, information on twitter shows police and reporters on what seems like a relay race on the street, with reporters running and police in hot pursuit. Reporters' crime is that they have gone to cover the trial of a police chief and police don't want the truth told, a sort of Prior Restraint against speech, a form of law enforcement application against speech, thrown into the abyss several hundred years ago in the U.S, with the introduction of the First Amendment.
Question is whether it is professionally acceptable for the reporters to run in the way Ugandan reporters run for the police to come in hot pursuit. Would running not capable of placing them in dangers more than if they have waited for police to arrest them and fight the matter out in a court of law? Does running from police not constitute an admission of guilt and aware of committing an offense, when reporting the truth is not supposed to constitute an offense? of course, with the fear of incarceration without trial or death, no one will blame the journalist for running!
Beginning with the Angolan Morais case for a piece of criticism against the attorney general. Reports says that has been the situation in the country over a long period before emergence of a new leader and people think things will change with the coming of a new leader, but things have not changed. Meaning that hating and punishing the truth has become a culture in Angola, just like it is in many other countries where publishing the truth is a crime.
The American Bar Association, ABA, expresses surprise about the continuation of punishing reporters for the truth in Angola with the emergence of a new leader, according to the BBC news report. But doesn't the ABA sees the gulf of difference between the laws applicable in Angola and the laws in the U.S? Is there any similarity between the two countries, when it is considered that the law in the U.S does not allow application of prior restraint or punishment for political speech, unlike Angola?
It is like comparing Nigeria and the United States in term of free speech and press freedom, despite many unresolved journalists' murders in Nigeria and a seeming crime that criticizing police chief in Nigeria has assumed. Of course it is no longer strange that great men with feet of clay hate the truth and will do anything, including murder, to cover their evil.
This trend makes journalists the modern day true Prophets, hated by those in authority and their accomplices in crimes against humanity. The trend started in the old testament days in the Bible, when true prophets who told the truth were punished and the false prophets enjoyed the patronage of rulers. It continued with the crucifixion of Christ and continued still with the punishing of his disciples, and unto the modern day journalists.
