THE
- By Alumni
At the Regulation and Rights Conference at the University of the Witwatersrand on 9 and 10 March 2011, participants from 21 African countries reaffirmed their belief in media freedom, the need for free access to information and their support for self-regulation in their industry.
The conference was co-hosted by the SA National Editors’ Forum and Wits Journalism. Participants came from Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Morocco, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Cameroon, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Britain, Canada and South Africa.
The following “Wits Declaration” was adopted by acclamation:
We, the journalists, media activists, academics, regulators and others concerned with media freedom from 21 African countries, gathered at Wits University in Johannesburg on 9/10 March 2011, declare:
1. Our support for media self-regulation as a means to enable and encourage good journalism and the free flow of information;
2. That we recognise the crucial importance of access to information to enable the free flow of information and empower citizens and governments alike;
3. That we strongly reaffirm our commitment to the responsibilities that come with this to ensure citizens have useful and accurate information to enable democracy to work;
4. Our commitment to promoting the highest ethical and professional standards among practitioners;
5. That we call on African Union member states to live up to their obligations as enshrined in the African Charter and the Declaration of Principles of the AU Commission on Freedom of Expression. This conference was supported by the British and Canadian High Commissions.
For further information, contact: Femida Mehtar, Sanef at director@sanef.org.za or Brigitte Read, Wits Journalism, at Brigitte.read@wits.ac.za or visit www.journalism.co.za