Legislation not answer to responsive Journalism

Accra, May 22, GNA - Stronger legislation is not an answer to responsive journalism, but on the contrary total freedom is the panacea for professional media practice, Mr Peter Gregg Arnett, International Renowned Journalist, stated in Accra on Wednesday.

He said professionalism in media practice was evolving, based on development in the media landscape; ability of the practitioners to research, focus on accuracy of the story and factuality. Mr Arnett, New Zealand-American born acclaimed Journalist, well known for his coverage of wars including the Vietnam and the Gulf Wars, was speaking in Accra, on: "Journalism in a Globalised World - Prospects and Challenges."

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) organised the lecture and was chaired by Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, former President of the Association and Member of the Council of State. Mr Arnet was awarded the 1966 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting for his work in Vietnam, where he was present from 1962 to 1975, most of the time reporting for the Associated Press news agency. He walked Ghanaian Journalists through his book, "Live from the Battlefield: From Vietnam to Baghdad, 35 Years in the World's War Zones."

He also narrated his personal experience in interviewing Osama bin Laden in March 1997; Transcript of Osama Bin Ladin interview by Peter Arnett He said: "Am the first to ever have live television interview with Osama Bin Ladin in eastern Afghanistan in late March 1997. "The questions were submitted in advance. Bin Ladin responded to almost all of the questions. I was not allowed to ask follow up questions."

He said the interview lasted just over an hour and among the question asked was; "Mr Bin Ladin, you've declared a Jihad against the United States. Can you tell us why? And is the Jihad directed against the US government or the United States' troops in Arabia? What about US civilians in Arabia or the people of the United States?" Mr Arnett said Mr Bin Ladin's response was: "We declared Jihad against the US government, because the US government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical.

"It has committed acts that are extremely unjust, hideous and criminal whether directly or through its support of the Israeli occupation of the Prophet's Night Travel Land (Palestine). "And we believe the US is directly responsible for those who were killed in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq. The mention of the US reminds us before everything else of those innocent children who were dismembered, their heads and arms cut off in the recent explosion that took place in Qana (in Lebanon). "This US government abandoned even humanitarian feelings by these hideous crimes....we have declared Jihad against the US, because in our religion it is our duty to make Jihad so that God's word is the one exalted to the heights and so that we drive the Americans away from all Muslim countries."

Mr Arnett also recounted when the British Daily Mirror hired him less than 24 hours after NBC and National Geographic fired him for reporting on Iraqi Television that the United State of America's war plan had failed.

He said: "The tabloid's banner headline said: "Fired by America for telling the truth ... hired by Daily Mirror to carry on telling it...Peter is one of the most respected journalists in the world, and we are delighted he is joining us to expose the truth about a war increasingly dominated by propaganda."

Mr Arnett emphasised: "I report the truth of what happened in Baghdad and will not apologize for it." He said as a reporter he observed that: "The first war plan of America failed because of Iraqi resistance. Clearly, the American war planners misjudged the determination of the Iraqi forces." He also noted the development of the media landscape in China, the dwindling of European and Western media influence in the developing world, the challenges of the Chinese penetration into the information world. Mrs Afenyi-Dadzie, in her closing remarks urged the GJA to review the Association's Code of Ethics for Political Party and Electioneering coverage. Many local and international media practitioners attended the lecture.