The foundations of African ethics (Afriethics) and the professional practice of journalism: The case for society-centred media morality

The impact of the information superhighway on journalism education in Africa is addressed by the author. The theme of this paper is that the communal approach should be used in solving moral problems in journalism. The individualism and divisionism that permeate the practise of journalism in Africa today should be discarded since they are not only unAfrican but also professionally unhealthy. The article asserts that African journalism would have an inbuilt self-correcting mechanism that facilitates journalists counseling one another. It is submitted herein that world journalism, equally beset with divisionist and selfish approaches to the practise of ethical journalism, could learn from Africa the value of journalistic solidarity and common problem-solving. The article ends with a note that the world needs journalism with a human face.