Journalists are books judged by their covers

“He who lives without discipline dies without honor.” Icelandic proverb You are at a cocktail for a company launching one of its new overly hyped products. It had been your day off until your editor called you back to the office to cover a particular event because everyone else was busy. But you are not enjoying yourself. Instead, you are at a corner alone grimacing and feeling out of place. Your faded blue jeans, yellow MTN t-shirt and open sandals make you stand out like a sore thumb. You were out of the house when you got the call and by then it was too late to go home to change. Towards the end of the evening, a squat man comes around looking furtively around him. His eyes descended on you. “Uri umunyamakuru, sibyo?” (You are a journalist, not so?) He asks out the corner of his mouth. Reassured by your nod, he inches closer to you and clumsily presses something in your palm, hurriedly walking off. “Wandike inkuruneza chef, sibyo?” (Write a good story chief, not so?) Image is something they say the media has received some flak for lack of polish. Some believe that almost trade mark semi-casual of dress could be responsible for the allegations of a lack of professionalism that signals the easy virtue and thus the numerous ‘tips’ (locally known as ‘giti’). But the question of how the media practitioners should wear or look has never been resolved. You find the dreadlock jean-decked radio jockey, the sleek well polished mini skirted TV presenter, the scruffy reporter and the stuffily suited editor all in the same building; dress the democracy rules. It isn’t made any easier by the fact rarely is anything about it in newsrooms, and certainly no advise given by the managing editors or in the media fraternities about the dress codes. “I don’t send a journalist to cover news when he is not presentably smart. We discuss about it during our meetings,” says Magnus Sendakuze, Chief Editor City Radio. “The first impression is the lasting impression. Trained journalists have a public relations mind. It does not matter what you write or what you ask. What matters before your source is your appearance,” says John Sesonga, a retired journalist. He believes these are mostly untrained ‘quacks’ in the profession. Whether journalists should have a dress code or not has drawn controversy. Internationally, especially in the war zones, journalists have been killed for looking like security officials due to their similar manner of dress. The recent clashes between Hamas and Israel left journalists in isolation, Israel shooting at them claiming that their camouflage looked the same as that of Hamas. The post election violence in Kenya also saw journalist face hard times due to the colours of their clothes. Their clothes apparently had colours similar to those of rival parties. “There is no story worth someone’s life. It’s always good for a journalist to be sensitive of the clothes he wears during the campaigns,” Edwin Musoni, a local reporter. During the campaigns, journalists are expected to be careful with what they wear in order to avoid seeming impartial and to maintain their independent stature. British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) journalists were also slammed by the public for their increased tendency to wear jeans which many audiences viewed as disrespectful. Media fraternities such as the Rwanda Journalist Association, Editors forum should be at the forefront of setting the dress code. When this is done, the media fraternity and profession will not only earn its deserved respect but also do wonders in raising individuals’ levels of self-esteem. So, shall we go for the t-shirts, jeans and canvass shoes or smart suits? Or should we dress according to the nature of the story being covered? The questions are multiple but a level of decency is surely a must. Contact: findmugabe@yahoo.com