The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) on Sunday accused the authorities of preventing vital information from reaching the public and vowed to fight for the right of journalists to protect their sources.
Sanef, in a statement released after an executive council meeting in Cape Town, said the organisation was concerned over the flow of information from the police to the media.
“Council also mandated its management committee to urgently seek a meeting with the minister of safety and security and the commissioner of police over blockages in the free flow of information to the public via the media, particularly in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal,” the statement said.
In other developments, Sanef decided to continue in the role of amicus curae or “friend of the court” in any appeal to the Constitutional Court in the matter of Ranjeni Munusamy versus the Hefer commission and the Free State High Court’s ruling that says journalists can be called to testify in legal proceedings as a first resort.
He said the organisation’s interest in the matter was to protect “a cardinal journalistic principle, which is in the public interest and a free flow of information and protection of sources”.
The forum also resolved to adopt and publicise general principles and guidelines for the conduct of confidential briefings.
This follows controversy surrounding the briefing by the national director of public prosecutions to a selected group of editors in 2002.
Jeffreys said workshops would be organised in newsrooms around improved gender coverage, HIV/Aids reporting and ethics in the profession.
“Sanef will also seek a meeting with the Independent Electoral Commission to discuss the electoral code of conduct as it pertains to the media and politicians in order to ensure that journalists can cover elections in an unfettered political environment,” said the organisation. — Sapa
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