Media's Role in Shaping History

Access, Responsibility, and Collaboration

The quote “history is written by the victors” is most often attributed to Winston Churchill. Whether or not he is its true originator is up for debate but the sentiment it expresses is undeniable. We can see it in the way history has “changed” in South Africa and Namibia post 1990, in the different ways the Second World (or Great Patriotic) War is portrayed in the USA and Russia, or even in the current fight taking place in many American schools about the way the country’s legacy of slavery is taught to children.

In fact, even when history is not being overtly moulded to suit a specific narrative, it bears scrutinising, because, as Nikole Hannah-Jones writes in The 1619 Project, “while history is what happened, it is also, just as important, how we think about what happened and what we unearth and choose to remember about what happened” and “most fights about history, at their essence are about power”.

If we then give credence to the statement by former president and publisher of The Washington Post, Philip L. Graham, that “journalism is the first rough draft of history”, what does this mean in terms of the media’s responsibility to report fairly and impartially (which I wrote about last month*)? I wrote in my previous column that journalists and media organisations need to “acknowledge (overtly or tacitly) that different viewpoints exist and try to understand what those are, and where they are coming from”, but it is of course not always as simple as that.

Part of being able to understand a different point of view is having access to those who hold it, and the opportunity to talk to them about it, but access and opportunities are not always granted.

Access to diverse perspectives and collaboration with the media are essential in shaping the narrative of history for posterity.

The media are often accused of only portraying “one side of the story”, but all too often that is the only side we have access to. Take the recent example of the deluge of commentary offered about the Namibia Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill by businesspeople, analysts and civil society, and the almost deafening silence on the part of the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade. I cannot speak for other media houses, but I know that at Future Media News we repeatedly tried to get a comment from the ministry and afford them the opportunity to state their case and respond to any criticism they had received, but it was a futile exercise.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns, and especially in the early months when verified, fact-checked information was of vital importance to our listeners, we had to fight with the government to stop “gatekeeping” and share it with us. I was often asked, “Can’t you just ask the government?” or told to “Just ask the government!” as if we had not been trying.

It is not just the government, though. Many businesses also do not yet understand the value of having a good relationship with the media and shy away from speaking to us, instead issuing press releases and assuming that it is enough to alert the world to their dealings. It is not for nothing that the White House holds almost daily press briefings and provides office space for journalists in the West Wing, that governments and businesses court journalists with gifts and “media junkets” (the ethics of which might end up the topic of a future column), or that business executives across the planet are increasingly being sent on media training and coaching exercises to learn things like message development, interview techniques, crisis communication and presentation skills, among others.

At the end of the day, when it comes to writing that first draft, regardless of what side of history the story might eventually find itself on, the media can only put down what they have had access to, so perhaps it is time for government and business alike to stop seeing them as an irritant or an adversary, and instead start thinking about how they can work with them to get the story they wish to tell recorded for posterity.

Thank you for reading, and, as always… Until next month; enjoy your journey!