During her hectic week, Interior Minister Izkia Siches announced in Congress that the government would work on a manual of good practices to avoid stigmatization of mapuches and migrants by the press. During her speech, the former president of the medical college stressed that “what happens in each of the televisions of our country is fundamental.”
These types of initiatives — the manual, in this case — are extremely problematic, because, by trying to impose a partial vision, they give rise, paradoxically, to stigmatizations towards the press. The consequences of these difficulties, in turn, end up piercing democratic freedoms.
History is fraught with conflicts and discord whose causes and consequences, even after years of discussions and investigations, do not generate consensus. A manual, which naturally distinguishes right from wrong, would have to be rigidly placed in only one of the points of view. That would imply a pretension to artificially end the discussions and, along with it, limit the plurality of voices, since those who dared to go beyond the limits of this guide would be contributing to the use of ‘bad practices’.
As a consequence of the above, a journalist who decided not to adhere to the mandates suggested by the authority – since the manual would come from the government – could be branded as a professional who does not follow the correct moral guidelines and, therefore, be stigmatized for his way of interpreting the facts. Although this would not necessarily constitute a veto, it would manage to become a kind of censorship, since the implications of resisting the mandates could impact on the development of their work and become a disincentive to exercise free journalism.
The government must make a deep analysis with respect to this initiative, which would not only pierce the exercise of journalism, but, as John Milton warned, would hinder access to the truth and put limits on creativity.
Finally, and by way of reflection, a question should be asked: Will there be anything more anti-journalistic than following a manual when starting to write? Manuals are for machines, not pens.
The content expressed in this opinion column is the sole responsibility of its author, and does not necessarily reflect the editorial line or position of El Mostrador.
