For a variety of ideological reasons, it’s not good form to give over the writing of one’s lead story to a member of parliament from the ruling party. Unless, of course, that parliamentarian’s autonomy of mind is substantiated more by documented history than subjective rhetoric.
History is explicit in Pallo Jordan’s case: he was dismissed from his cabinet post in 1996 for taking a stand against former president Nelson Mandela and senior ANC members regarding the latters’ attempts to interfere with the SABC’s editorial independence and dilute civil liberties. At the time of the sacking, the Mail & Guardian quoted a colleague: ‘Pallo brings to the ANC integrity and pluck. He will stand up and say what others don’t have the guts to say. He might be wrong sometimes, but it’s his honest opinion, not some power play. This is what we’ll be losing from cabinet.”
Our cover story, then, is Dr. Jordan’s honest opinion on media’s progress ten years into democracy. The picture he portrays is not flattering. We may have all the constitutional protections we need, he says, and – in accordance with our valued ‘watchdog’ self-image and role – are free to hold the government accountable on any issue we deem fit, but we’re falling way short when it comes to equitable representation of racial, gender and class realities.
So what’s new? Well, Dr. Jordan’s eloquence and his location of the argument in a global and historical context reinforces its general veracity, for one thing. There’s also the issue of timeliness – the ten-year review on macro policy expected from President Mbeki’s office will seek an understanding of broad successes and failures since 1994, and media will no doubt be implicated.
In that sense, the cover story is probably best read in tandem with the following: Graeme Addison’s challenge to the financial press; Bongiwe Mlangeni’s probing of the lack of women newspaper editors; and Prof. Tawana Kupe’s assessment of the forces behind Mathatha Tsedu’s axing from the Sunday Times.