Back and Next - Back and NextWho is a journalist?
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Editorial
Once again the debate of who is a journalist has surfaced. Absolutely nothing is wrong about the fact that such a very pertinent issue is being discussed, because the dream of all of us who call ourselves journalist is actually to be professional in the trade. And it follows that, like in many other trades, it is only by enrolling into professional institution and acquiring some form of education regarding the trade in question can one be well placed to not only excel but also to do better in serving their purpose.
Journalists of the Gambia would welcome any suggestion that call for the creation of some training opportunities. But to say that if you do not attend a journalism school you can not be a journalist is absolutely false and utterly misleading. And all the more absurd is to brand untrained journalists as impersonators.
Haven’t you heard of the word training on the job? This is exactly what many of us rely on to pursue our goals. Just in the same way The Gambia as a nation pursued it goals forty years into independence, with Gambians serving at various positions in the running of the affairs of the country, many of them with virtually little education. It may not be wrong to say that that contributed to underdevelopment, but life went on.
But where does this leave the so-called unqualified teachers; must they get college training before standing in front of the students who badly need their services in supplementing the effort of the trained teachers?
As a matter of fact, most of the few Gambians who boast of degrees in journalism today started off as virtual scavengers (sorry for that term). That is because the problems we are faced with today is what they battled with then. But they certainly did not give up; they wouldn’t be where they are today if they had.
And it might interest the voices of decent to know that it is not these so-called untrained journalists who connive in selling off the continent’s integrity with their insidious writings; on the contrary, these ‘untrained’ journalists help give some of you undeserved publicity by writing about you, in return for some payment.
In effect, some of you connive with them in making image for yourself you do not deserve. Doesn’t that make you impersonators? There should be a clear distinction between lack of proper training and misbehaviour in the field of journalism.
Recent remarks regarding legitimacy of practicing as journalist are unfortunate on the part of the person (s) who uttered these misleading words. We do not expect these from some one who literally begs for undeserving publicity from these very same journalists he calls impersonators. What a shame!
And by the way, it is reassuring to learn that very soon we can have the opportunity to enrol into a journalism school on Gambian soil. We look forward to that.
Once again the debate of who is a journalist has surfaced. Absolutely nothing is wrong about the fact that such a very pertinent issue is being discussed, because the dream of all of us who call ourselves journalist is actually to be professional in the trade. And it follows that, like in many other trades, it is only by enrolling into professional institution and acquiring some form of education regarding the trade in question can one be well placed to not only excel but also to do better in serving their purpose.
Journalists of the Gambia would welcome any suggestion that call for the creation of some training opportunities. But to say that if you do not attend a journalism school you can not be a journalist is absolutely false and utterly misleading. And all the more absurd is to brand untrained journalists as impersonators.
Haven’t you heard of the word training on the job? This is exactly what many of us rely on to pursue our goals. Just in the same way The Gambia as a nation pursued it goals forty years into independence, with Gambians serving at various positions in the running of the affairs of the country, many of them with virtually little education. It may not be wrong to say that that contributed to underdevelopment, but life went on.
But where does this leave the so-called unqualified teachers; must they get college training before standing in front of the students who badly need their services in supplementing the effort of the trained teachers?
As a matter of fact, most of the few Gambians who boast of degrees in journalism today started off as virtual scavengers (sorry for that term). That is because the problems we are faced with today is what they battled with then. But they certainly did not give up; they wouldn’t be where they are today if they had.
And it might interest the voices of decent to know that it is not these so-called untrained journalists who connive in selling off the continent’s integrity with their insidious writings; on the contrary, these ‘untrained’ journalists help give some of you undeserved publicity by writing about you, in return for some payment.
In effect, some of you connive with them in making image for yourself you do not deserve. Doesn’t that make you impersonators? There should be a clear distinction between lack of proper training and misbehaviour in the field of journalism.
Recent remarks regarding legitimacy of practicing as journalist are unfortunate on the part of the person (s) who uttered these misleading words. We do not expect these from some one who literally begs for undeserving publicity from these very same journalists he calls impersonators. What a shame!
And by the way, it is reassuring to learn that very soon we can have the opportunity to enrol into a journalism school on Gambian soil. We look forward to that.
Author: DO
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