An all-Africa editors’ forum is to be established, it was agreed on Sunday. Editors from all over the continent met at a two-day conference in Midrand, an initiative of the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef).
A steering committee, including regional representatives and convened by Sanef chairman Mathatha Tsedu, was nominated to further develop the idea of the continent-wide forum.
According to a declaration drafted at the conference, the editors agreed that Africa and African issues should get prominent media coverage.
Steering committee member Macharia Gaitho from Kenya said: ”We acknowledge the need for African journalists to engage in African issues.”
In particular these included the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) and the African Union (AU), which were supposed to help chart a new destiny for the continent, he said.
”There is a commitment to work together to engage governments and all other stakeholders to better secure press freedoms and a free and responsible media.”
The conference identified the need for an African media charter to help define the functions, responsibilities and rights of the media in relation to Nepad and the AU, Gaitho said.
The media was very powerful and had played a key part in the democratisation process, for instance in South Africa and Kenya, he said.
Gaitho said the continent’s media had an important role to fulfil to push for democracy and secure freedoms. – Sapa