I am appalled at the sloppy reporting and sensational headline that you permit in the article by Paul Kirk (“Newspaper sales figures ‘inflated'”, November 23). Routine checking would have established ignorance and a personal agenda.
Independent Newspapers is a reputable company. We were founder members of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and comply with its rules. We circulate hundreds of thousands of newspapers in KwaZulu-Natal each week which are subject to audit every six months. Your article is an affront and defamatory. I also object to any managers being called union bashers by Mr Hlatshwayo, via your newspaper, when we have a record of sound union relations. It is only reasonable that I and other managers should not condone theft. Your report indicates the contrary.
With regard to staffers Michelle Eckhout and Bongi Sishi, I will not discuss our labour issues in the press.
It is clear why this defamatory article was written by your reporter. Our rights are reserved. Graeme King, MD, Independent Newspapers KZN.
The Editor replies: For legal reasons, we have edited out of this letter a paragraph explaining Graeme King’s reasons for suggesting that the report by Paul Kirk, a former Independent employee, reflected his personal agenda. The paragraph may have been defamatory of Kirk.
Kirk based his report on allegations by a trade union situated at Independent Newspapers KZN. Kirk was reporting the news much as Independent’s employees do. We do not allow journalists to pursue personal agendas on our news pages.