TAT commentary by Alf Soninke
“Although it is important to show loyalty to an employer, anything less than total honesty with the media will destroy a spokesman’s credibility, and ultimately destroy that person’s value to an employer as well”
When I read Madi Jobarteh’s recent post on Facebook: “Response to Ebrima G Sankareh’s Dishonesty, Distortion, and Hypocrisy”, it occurred to me that it may be timely and proper to give some unsolicited advice to my senior brothers, friends, and colleagues in the media fraternity.
The following is not my knowledge; I was lucky to come across a book pamphlet entitled “A responsible Press Office – an Insider’s Guide”. This is a publication of the U.S. Department of State authored by Marguerite H. Sullivan, a former spokesperson for several U.S. government organizations.
According to Ms. Sullivan, “it has been written as a sort of pocket guide for government leaders and public information officials who want to create an effective mechanism of communication between the press and the government.”
I recommend that my senior friends in the media get hold of a copy to help them in their work. I pray that they find the attached text below useful.
Chapter 12 of the book pamphlet has the title – “Ethics: Codes of Conduct” and the following is from that chapter:
