African journalists asked to promote political stability

African journalists have been asked to focus more effort on the promotion of political stability to sustain the continent on the path of development.

Professor Zhang Yan-qui, Director of Africa Communication Research Centre of the Institute of the Communication Studies, Communication University of China (CUC), said it was important for everybody to recognize that without stability development would struggle.

That was why the media needed to do everything to assist the people stay united and avoid tearing them apart “in the name of democracy and politics”.

She was addressing a group of journalists from the continent attending a two-week joint workshop on “China-Africa Reporting”.

The programme, jointly organized by the CUC and the University of Witwatersrand –South Africa, involved visits to Chinese media houses and lectures on the Chinese society.

Prof Zhang said media freedom must be used to foster unity to bring economic growth and create wealth for the people.

She used the occasion to deflect criticism of her country for controlling the media, saying that had been helpful and was driving China’s growth.

It had been for the collective good – stabilizing the system and allowing for the rapid development, she added.

“China’s media censorship may be seen by the outside world as bad but it helps to manage the world’s largest population” and she said there was something good Africa could learn from them.

Prof Zhang reminded the journalists to be interested in helping to find workable solutions to the development challenges of the continent.

Source: GNA