The scanty media coverage of HIV-Aids in the absence of controversy was a failure of responsibility to the public, Joel Netshitenze, Government Communications Information Service CEO, said in a panel discussion in Johannesburg on Saturday to mark Media Freedom Day, the SABC reported.
”There’s very little reporting in the media about HIV-Aids which means we are failing in our public responsibility and perhaps it does reflect a mindset that we report intensely on HIV-Aids only when there’s a controversy. My argument is that this is also in the national interest,” he said.
Two panel discussions on media issues were organised by the SA National Editors Forum, the Sowetan and Wits University’s Graduate Journalism programme to mark the 25th anniversary of the banning of the black newspapers, the World and the Weekend World, today, in 1977.
On October 19, 1977, the apartheid regime detained political activists, banned organisations, arrested journalists and closed down newspapers that were seen to be against the National Party-led government. To remember the banning of the newspapers, journalists, academics and government officials at the panel discussion in Johannesburg debated the question of whether the media should serve the national or the public interest.
Concern was also raised over the influence of advertisers in media policy and the dwindling standards in journalism. Mathata Tsedu, chairman of the SA Editors Forum, said that more coverage should deal with issues affecting the poor. ”There are poor people out there on whose behalf we should be reporting instead of running after the sexy headlines.”
The debate followed the announcement on Friday that the SABC will no longer be required to submit its policies to the Minister of Communications for approval as was proposed in the government’s draft Broadcasting Amendment Bill. – Sapa