Globalisation and media ethics in Africa

The disintegration of military regimes and one-party rule occurring across Africa in the early1990s allowed for the mushrooming of numerous new media initiatives and the resuscitationof hitherto dormant media operations. The enthusiasm was fuelled by promises of freedom ofspeech and prospects of the media becoming an autonomous fourth actor on the public stage. Itwas envisioned by many that the media would reject the ethos prevailing under hegemonic ruleand adopt international norms. But nearly two decades later, media people and their organisationsin sub-Saharan Africa are still entangled in a labyrinth of ethical dilemma. One of the big issuesbegging further research and reflection is whether to localise or globalise ethical discourse andpractice. How far should indigenous cultural values inform journalism ethics? And, how can thisbe negotiated in a rapidly globalising environment? This paper uses the Zambian experienceto advance the position that glocalisation - the hybridisation of ethical norms between the localand the global -provides the most enduring and acceptable foundation for ethical theorising andpractice available to media professionals on the continent.