A Reporter's Dilemma

Last week, I went to a function that lasted several days with one of the reporters. We attended the function for two days. On our last day at the function, we were asked if we were staying for lunch. The reporter said no. (This conversation occurred in Chichewa so the conversation was translated for me a bit later). We were shuffled into a room after the reporter declined lunch, a woman asked four our names, the reporter answered her, and then we were both handed K 2000 which is less than US $15.
I turned to the reporter and said “No, I’m sorry, I can’t take this money.” The reporter told me to be quiet in the most polite way possible. “Shhhhh,” were the reporter’s exact words. My mind and heart were racing. My mind was going a mile a minute because I just knew how wrong it was that I had taken the money. I was panicking on the inside. On the outside, I tried to remain cool and calm. For a journalist in the west, taking money from a source is definitely unethical. It’s seen as downright bribery. But when I looked at the reporter’s face I decided to make a sacrifice for them. I think the reporter felt if I turned down the money it would prevent them from getting the money too.
When were finally alone, I told the reporter that I couldn’t take the money. I told the reporter that I was going to take the money back. “Alright,” the reporter said slowly, sounding defeated. But when I looked the reporter in their eyes, I decided to give them the money instead.
Of course the reporter accepted the money. But the exchange was ac I knew I had made the reporter uncomfortable by not accepting the money. My refusal to take the money, and the reporter being adamant accepting it highlighted the idea of the haves and the have-nots. I was obviously someone who didn’t need the money. The reporter did.
A little later when the awkwardness subsided we started talking about the situation. The reporter told me that anytime a reporter goes to a function in Malawi they are given money. The money is called, a “lunch allowance.” And the reporter’s always accept the money. I then asked the reporter, if the reporters were expected to write positive stories because of the “lunch allowance.” The reporter told me yes, but explained that they never do and that the next day the newsroom often received angry calls from these people. But the reporter waved it off saying they didn’t care about getting those calls.
She also went on to tell me that she lived in a place called the barracks and that she had to pay K400 for her transportation each day. Two mini-buses to work and Two-mini buses home. Meanwhile, I usually got a ride to and from work. Lived in what my co-workers consider ritzy accommodations. I am one of the have’s and the reporter was one of the have not’s.
After that conversation, I felt bad for making the reporter feel like I was “ethically superior to her.” Although I hadn’t tried to present that air about myself I think it might have come across that way. Later as I reflected on journalism in the west, I remembered that although we don’t take money from companies and organizations, we often accept free clothing, books, CDs and IPODS sent to US. Usually we excuse accepting the gifts by saying it’s for a story but half the time the reporter never does the story. So are we really better than journalist’s here who accept money because they know it will help them with food, transportation, or rent for that week.


In Malawi, reporters aren’t paid very much at all. Where I work there is one phone in the office for all the reporters to share; no one has a lap top computer, rather computers are shared; and none of their reporters own their own recording devices. So when I look back on that day I don’t fault the reporter for taking the money to help them pay for transportation and lunch for the week. I actually fault myself for unfairly judging them and thinking that their actions were unethical when instead their actions are a matter of survival.