Somali Media: Ethics, Truth and Integrity

Published on 16th March 2010

 “I haven't voted since 1964, I don't want to get my judgment involved in what I do for a living” Jim Lehrer, PBS, News Hour.  

Background 

In recent years Somali journalism, Islam and Somali music have become the easiest areas to penetrate without any previous experience or training. In other words, anyone can claim to be a respected Sheikh, journalist and musician in this civil war era. The high tech internet age of today’s 24 hour cable journalism is much different from the time the first graduate program in Journalism was established at Columbia in 1912, with a grant from New York Editor and Publisher Joseph Pulitzer. Back then, the complex world of news reporting was highly specialized.i With the arrival of laptops, desk-top publishing, easy access to the internet, and affordable equipments such as digital cameras and audio recording the flood gates have opened.  

In established media outlets, Op/Eds and news pieces are reported and presented in very distinct ways. This practice is often not the case in media outlets managed by Somalis including well established ones. In some cases, the news and opinions they carry are often very predictable. Somali run media in general lacks journalistic ethics due to the endless war that has devastated the country for nearly two decades. The tribal influences and lack of maturity, experience and accountability may be a direct reflection of the broken down systems in Somalia.  

Copycat, plagiarism and a lack of originality is rampant in many Somali run media in this age where everyone desires to be a media outlet in an environment where news comes from haphazard means and media outlets are set up in an ad hoc manner. It’s therefore not surprising to encounter media outlets mimicking each other and at times copying information verbatim from one websites or another without the least care for originality. In the past few years, many agencies and associations have become the goose that lays the golden egg for many individuals as they falsely claim to represent the entire Somali media when in fact, their activity does not go beyond their own interests, tweet propaganda and income by the millions.  

Some argue that most Somali run media today caters for a pre-tuned audience that expect it to carry certain news that promote their own beliefs and perspective. The late writer Mohamed Saleeban (may Allah bless his soul) once wrote an interesting piece for WardheerNews titled “Pre-tuned Audience”ii . Mohamed eloquently stated: “They are shy of speaking their conscience. Their content is predictable, if you are not writing what is expected of you as a priori by your pre-tuned bunch that surrounds you either physically or influentially, then you must be silent.” 

Some news outlets even go further to fabricate news to fit their interest and lure new readers. On July 23, 2009 for example, a sensationalist Somali website published some shocking photos of what they referred to as a Somali student being slaughtered and cut into pieces in Malaysia. Fortunately, the Somali students association in Malaysia quickly repudiated the fabrications, provided evidence that the story was manufactured and availed the source of the photos which turned out to have been downloaded directly from the internet. This outrageous irresponsible tabloid reporting is tarnishing the image of some hard working few who desire to report genuinely about important news.  

Somali Websites: The average Somali maryoolay of today is glued to the internet to get his news and information from a plethora of Somali news sources. People patronize these websites to get what they believe to be the most trusted news, in many cases because the website is their clan website of choice. 

Despite the fact that it’s difficult to get an accurate record of Somali websites (they come and go) there are roughly 400 Somali websites and to quote writer Bashir Goth, most are what he refers to “Anna waa ikan”iii. In other words, websites are mushrooming for no other meaningful reason but to merely exist. There is no mission or objectives other than to just begin another tribal website with people who obviously have time and an agenda that is blurred with misinformation.  

Poet Mohamed Hirad summed up the quality of Somali media in a poem: 

Mareegaha xad dhaafka ah                   Xasaraddoodu badantahay

Ummaddii xabiibka ahayd                     Iyagaysku xuuxshoo

Xaasidnimo Ku beeroo                         Xudduumahooda kala furay

Dabadeed xumaan iyo                          Xabadday ku baaqeen

Shacabkii xaalaashaha ahaa                  Waa kuwaa xabaaliyo

Xeryo qaxoonti lagu guray                    wax intaa ka xeeldheer

 

B. B. C. xaggeediyo                             V. O. A da xigatana

Xarkaynta beentiyo                               Xayaysiis dad gaaroo

Qabiil lagu xaglinayaa                             Kuwo xiiqsan qayshaan

Xeegaan ku helayaan                             Darna laga xannibayaa

Xaq inay ku baaqaan

 

Mushrooming they are, these websites

Doers of evil, they created hate

They assured graves for some and refugee camps for others

The BBC and VOA have become experts in lies, and division

Truth and peace never their agenda

Poem by M. Hirad. 

During the height of the zonal warlord period in Mogadishu, some websites were financed by ruthless Mogadishu warlords and acted as their mouth piece. It was not strange to come across warlords using their tribal website to disseminate venom and hate against perceived threats. In fact, some may argue that the era of well financed websites by a clan warlord or head of a region still prevails, and these well financed but poorly run websites are nothing more than a propaganda mouth piece.  

The tragedy that has engulfed Somali journalism has produced under-trained journalists with no experience and poor command of the Somali language, filing reports with similar news for various websites using different pen names. The Somali literature in general and Somali language in particular have been abused and seen deterioration. There is no usage of a standard language. Furthermore, there is no consistency in spelling, language and content. If one attempts to read news items written by these self declared journalists, one is unable to recognize the language, let alone read it. Some of the common but strange terms that you will see daily in Somali news reporting include: Ethiopia, ethiopia, itobiya, atobiya, itoobiya etc. Indeed, it’s the mutilation of the Somali language which has seen its demise on the rise of these websites.  

Imagine the good old days when Radio Hargeisa, Mogadishu and the BBC were the place to learn the richest and most creative Somali literature. Imagine the many that sat in front of the radio and waited for the different programs to air. That was then. Now, it stuns me to see the quality of news reporting in a giant media such as BBC Somali services. With all of its resources, it is not much different from a poorly run website. In recent years, however, some gifted writers such as Abdirahman Barwaaqo and Liban Ahmed iv have taken the daunting task of addressing the downfall of the Somali language. Liban Ahmed has eloquently written on the quality of BBC Somali service website in an article titled “Ma tifaftire bay u baahan tahay Mareegta BBC Somali.com”v or “Does the Somali service of the BBC website need an editor?” 

It’s important to note that most Somaliland news websites (although ridden with un-tasty tribal and polarizing opinion) are mostly readable, original and sometimes rhythmic Somali language. On the other hand, pro secessionist Somaliland websites distance themselves from the majority of Somali websites as if that alone will ensure or delay Somaliland’s long sought independence. These websites carry very limited coverage when it comes to Somali news and are becoming irrelevant, as they are totally missing the news stories outside of their periphery. They do not list or link other Somali websites. In essence, they only list websites that belong to their group. Contrary to them, most of the other Somali websites link all existing Somali websites, organizations and radio stations. This linking is actually a useful tool where reader accessibility is enhanced. Equally, there are pro union, anti Somaliland tabloid news outlets or websites that are created solely to counter the secessionist agenda.  

It’s important to note that the Diaspora has a huge part in running websites and somewhat contribute to the division that is present in Somali websites today as most of the information disseminated on these websites is partly created by Diaspora Somalis. In a large part, we can say the Diaspora sets the tone for what will be put in these websites. The end users of Somali websites, particularly those that are in Somalia and other parts of the world receive these materials as truth, not comprehending that the information is mostly opinion and commentary. In addition, the audiences fail to understand the bias of websites they support. It may not even occur to them that each website has an agenda to report the news, articles and information in general in the way their audiences expect.  

Missing from most Somali websites of today is the ability of the editors to separate their personal feelings, interest and tribal affiliations from the news. Somali run media often are laden with hate and propaganda that should be reserved for the tea house and pal-talk. The news should be reported without investing so much emotion. Also most Somali media do not provide space for people with opposing views. The editors who run these media fail to understand that giving their audience a totality of a viewpoint including those that do not agree with them will give their audience more to choose from instead of the same old tune which tends to get boring.  

By Abdelkarim A. Hassan,  

Courtesy: WardheerNews.com


This article has been read 1,617 times
COMMENTS