Media should name and shame liars

Editor, Allow me to respond to the story, “MTN suspends top official amid network troubles”, (The New Times, December 5). My problem isn’t firing the gentleman, if you have done it well and for a good reason.

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Editor,Allow me to respond to the story, "MTN suspends top official amid network troubles”, (The New Times, December 5). My problem isn’t firing the gentleman, if you have done it well and for a good reason. My problem is a Chief Executive Officer of MTN who does not imagine that telling the truth is an obligation.When you give lies or half truths to the media, and thus the public, in whose interest are you working? Or when you deny, in the media, that a certain truth is actually the truth, whom are you serving and whom are you protecting? We bash the media for lying, guessing, exaggerating, not verifying the information they have, etc, yet we who should provide accurate accounts hide beneath the carpets in our offices. And we are not bashed by anyone for it.I wish to tell the media that you now have the right tools in the law and a supportive readership. It is now up to you to make lying, deceit, concealment of public information a very expensive affair. Make all of us fear lying and concealing the same way the Government has made us fear corruption. Lies and half truths can only earn you the "pedestrian journalism” award.If you find out later that a public official, a CEO, or anybody else from whom you sought information intentionally gave you information knowing that information to be untrue or half true or denied having that information when he/she actually had it and knew it, or concealed information that they had and knew they had it just go after them and show the public that the person in question is a liar, dishonest and cannot be trusted with a public responsibility.Hope, Nyamirambo