“Motoring journalism in South Africa has been corrupted to such an extent that many journalists no longer understand the basic principles of journalism. In fact, many journalists in that field have lost their principles and do not adhere to the ideals of journalism – to inform, be a watchdog, educate, entertain, and above all to be independent. Motoring journalism has become nothing more than an extension of the marketing arm of the South African motoring industry.”
So says Egmont Sippel, motoring editor of Rapport and award-winning journalist.
Sippel recently incensed the top brass at one of the world’s largest motoring companies with an article that criticised a new model sedan. After he test-drove the vehicle, and weeks before the article was published, Sippel informed the company about the car’s fuel starvation problem. The company decided to have the car tested by a racing driver who came to the same conclusion: that there was indeed a problem with fuel starvation. Sippel was told that engineers would take a look at the problem.
After regular inquiries the motoring company informed Sippel in July last year that there was no problem with the model whatsoever, and that there never had been. Sippel decided to run his story. It was published under the headline JAMES BOND SE VOET, referring to a television commercial used to market the car.
The result was a meeting between representatives of the company and the editor of Rapport, Tim du Plessis. The company threatened to withdraw advertisements it had booked with the paper for the rest of the year, an income loss of millions. The company’s argument was that it saw no reason to advertise in the paper if its products were knocked in the editorial space. The editor did not budge. The ads were withdrawn.
An anecdote that demonstrates the power of advertisers in a media world that is increasingly dominated by the bottom line. It also demonstrates that journalists and editors need not throw ethics and independence out the window in the face of corporate threats.
But like it or not, corporate giants rule the world and the media industry is no exception.
Today’s journalists have to perform an incredibly intricate balancing act. On the one hand readers, viewers and listeners must be able to trust journalists to give them the no-holds-barred truth. On the other hand advertisers expect value for money.
International big business has entered the local media arena in the form of, amongst others, the Independent Group and the Nigerian-owned ThisDay, so we are not exempt from multinational corporate pressures. Further, under apartheid South Africa’s newspapers were in the hands of four companies – today there are two dominant conglomerates. Independent and Naspers between them control 69% of South Africa’s daily newspapers and 72% of the weeklies. The two together took around 68% of newspaper advertising in 2003.
This concentration of ownership and the growing international influence in local media reflect a global trend, where control lies in the hands of a few, very large, players. Due to the trend, non-journalistic routines now reach further down into the newsroom and the craft values of journalism often collide with the so-called “MBA values”, which means financial constraints have a more definitive effect on what gets published.
Willem Kempen, assistant editor at the Gauteng daily Beeld, argues that surveys and promotion articles in particular take the copy choice away from editorial staff. “Whoever advertises on such pages is always favoured when copy is selected. As a result the newsworthiness of copy is lost as well as a measure of independence. It is not even a question of pressure being applied; it is rather that journalists really have no say in a matter that is decided on advertising and management level. Sometimes it feels as if a financial vice is applied from which there is no escape.”
According to researchers, journalists do what has to be done to produce the goods. Those who criticise journalistic output often overestimate the extent to which journalists are free agents. What is up to journalists is to keep the passion for the profession and its ideals alive.
Here the role of the editor is crucial, believes Sippel. “Journalists have to stand up for what they believe in. In the case with the international motoring giant I was fortunate to have an editor like Du Plessis who is prepared to stand up for the principles and ideals of our profession. Were it any different I might have considered it time to leave. Without integrity good journalism is impossible. Unfortunately this is not always understood by big business.”
According to Henry Jeffreys, deputy editor of Beeld and chairperson of the South African National Editors’ Forum, editors are held fully responsible for the image, content and sales of newspapers but have no direct influence over the marketing of the paper. “The editor is expected to help market his newspaper, but cannot budget to do so. He can only make suggestions to the general manager, who has the final say. The position of editors has weakened, they are not in charge any more.”
Jeffreys says the pressure in today’s newsrooms comes from the owner having to protect investment value. Companies like Naspers and Johncom are listed and publicly owned. “They must produce financial results that are favourable to the shareholders. Because of this, cost is minimised in order to maximise profits, and newsrooms suffer. Advertising is taking up almost half of available space on news pages. Equipment is not replaced on time, staff is cut. The best journalists are also the most expensive and are not as easily employed as in the past. Investigative journalism is often the victim.”
What Jeffreys finds refreshing is that the average journalist in the newsroom seems to be unaware of these pressures. He mentions an example where a story about the cell phone service provider MTN was placed right next to a Vodacom advertisement. “To them news is still what publishing a newspaper is all about.”
But there is an argument that journalists on all levels should be more aware of the complexities. “Journalists must realise that without a bottom line, there can be no deadline,” says Prof. Lizette Rabie, head of the Department of Journalism at Stellenbosch University. “They must understand where their pay cheques come from, while at the same time standing in service of the public and not the general manager.”
That said, research has also shown that the influence of economic factors on journalism is sometimes unpredictable. Ownership and control give proprietors outlets through which to pursue their political and commercial agendas, but they cannot buck market trends or ignore the views of the audience. Proprietors may try to change those views, but not to the point of putting their businesses at risk.
Helen Ueckermann is a senior journalist at Rapport. This article is the result of research conducted under the auspices of The Wits Media Observatory, a project of the Wits Journalism Programme.