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 **  *****  *****    ***           COMMUNIQUE # 4 - 28
 **  **     **      ** **          17 July 1995
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International Freedom of Expression eXchange Clearing House
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WAJA REPORT ADDRESSES MEDIA LEGISLATION AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Pluralism and political change are affecting the media in West
Africa, says a new report published by the press freedom
monitoring division of the West African Journalists' Association
(WAJA). The report is entitled "The Media, Legislation and
Professional Ethics in West Africa" ("Media, legislation et
deontologie en Afrique de l'ouest".) According to WAJA, the West
African press has been divided along political interest lines
until now, and information has been largely provided and
controlled by government. With a freer and increasingly
pluralistic press in the region, WAJA says the focus must shift
to issues of media legislation and professional ethics.

In its report, WAJA studies the press laws of sixteen West
African countries, analyzing their provisions for freedom of
expression versus controls; the role and professional status of
journalists; access to information; regulatory bodies; and
criminal sanctions. WAJA paints a portrait of a region which has
had difficulty reconciling out-dated, repressive legislation with
a new, more pluralistic reality. WAJA also sees the same type of
predicament existing for the media itself in terms of
professional ethics. WAJA expresses an "urgent need to promote...
professional ethics and find a way to see those principles
respected" by journalists as a pre-condition to democracy in the
region. The report assesses training needs in this realm for
journalists, and explores the difficulties of ensuring ethical
journalism while refraining from placing controls on a free
press. The report is available in French from WAJA at 20, rue
Mohammed V, Dakar, Senegal; tel: +221 22 36 25; fax: +221 22 17
61.


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   Association mondiale des radiodiffuseurs communautaires
      World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
          Asociacion mundial de radios comunitarias
3575 Blvd. St. Laurent, Suite 704     Email: amarc@web.apc.org
Montreal, Quebec                         Tel: (1-514) 982-0351
CANADA  H2X 2T7                          Fax: (1-514) 849-7129
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