If we had to nominate a newsmaker of the year, it would have to be Jacob Zuma. Our axed deputy president pretty much dominated the media industry in the past 12 months, as The Media illustrated in professor Nixon Kariithi’s analysis of the coverage of his rape trial. It showed that Zuma’s case received more publicity here than Princess Diana’s death. Research by Media Tenor SA found that international coverage of South Africa peaked in the second quarter of this year, mainly due to the rape trial. If Zuma was not crying ”trial by media” in both the rape and corruption cases, he was suing a long list of journalists and cartoonists in arguably the biggest defamation case against the media in our history.
But the Zuma saga has raised many underlying issues affecting the media in our country in the past year – sensationalist reporting, women’s rights, defamation, press freedom, spin doctors, Aids coverage and empowerment. The Zuma storyline has almost become like a silver thread weaving through our industry, forcing us to look critically at ourselves.
Professor Anton Harber, head of journalism at the University of Witwatersrand and Business Day columnist, has said he would be more than happy to see Zuma’s defamation case go all the way to the Constitutional Court.
”What will be at stake will be two different views of democracy: one which favours openness and debate when it can be harsh, hurtful and even unfair, and one which is prepared to curtail open debate in order to limit the worst excesses of the media,” writes Harber.
”What’s worse, the courts will ask: badly-behaved media or badly-behaved politicians?”
Criticism versus defamation
Defamation certainly counted as one of the top media issues this year. As Harber says in his blog The Harbinger, ”defamation will be the battleground for the media freedom wars of the foreseeable future”.
Zuma aside, we saw our public broadcaster can the Unauthorised documentary on President Thabo Mbeki, seemingly because its producers followed the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) brief to be critical and daring. Not to mention the Mail & Guardian newspaper which was forced to stop the presses after a court ruled it was not allowed to publish a potentially defamatory follow-up to its Oilgate story.
The SABC’s woes started long before the Mbeki doccie. In September last year, it had to please explain why it failed to broadcast the booing of the then newly appointed deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ncguka, who succeeded Zuma (see, once again related to the Z-files), while e.tv had footage of an SABC cameraman being present. An internal probe cleared the SABC of any political bias.
The broadcaster has since faced a new internal inquiry, commissioned following allegations of a blacklist of certain commentators critical of the government. Shortly after veteran broadcaster John Perlman confronted an SABC bigwig about the alleged blacklist on air, SABC CEO Dali Mpofu launched a stinging attack on the print media for its coverage of the public broadcaster. Then a new current affairs programme, In The Public Interest, was born.
In Mpofu’s own words: ”There could not have been a better time to launch the show because the public broadcaster has been under a lot of scrutiny recently and it needs to have a programme like this one so that we can also scrutinize the media, especially print.”
His head of news of current affairs, Snuki Zikalala, came straight to the point: ”Just like print criticises us, we will be able to criticise them.”
Controversial laws
The SABC has not been the only broadcasting body bracing itself against ongoing criticism. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) was in turmoil this year. The broadcasting and telecoms regulator experienced a mass exodus of staff, pro-longed disciplinary action against suspended CEO Jackie Manche for alleged financial irregularities and accusations of a lazy and incompetent chairman sleeping on the job. There were reports of a lack of leadership, shady tender processes and the hiring of only certain consultants, the flouting of travel policies, unnecessary overseas travel and intimidation of staff.
In parliament, President Mbeki sent back the Icasa Bill for reconsideration following concerns over the constitutional protection of the regulator’s independence.
The controversy around the Icasa Bill sorted out, now proposed amendments to the Film and Publications Act are causing an outcry with media bodies saying it is a threat to press freedom. The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef), the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) and Misa-SA have condemned the proposal to add newspapers to pre-publication censorship in certain instances.
”The media industry is regulated by the Press Ombudsman, Icasa and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission which hold the media accountable for ethical and other breaches of their codes of conduct. As there is no need for the Film and Publications Board to asurp this function, the only reason that can be advanced for the government’s move is that it wishes to censor the media,” the three organisations said in a joint statement.
Press freedom
But in South Africa, at least, we have the means and legal channels to fight this kind of threat to press freedom. On the rest of the continent, press freedom remains elusive, according to the international Reporters Without Borders (RSF) media watchdog based in Paris.
In its Worldwide Press Freedom Index for 2005, South Africa was rated number 32 in a list of 167 countries, with Zimbabwe at number 154 and North Korea being the worst at number 167.
”Pervasive violence and repression, backed by often absurd laws, prevented any improvement in the ranking of the Democratic Republic of Congo (146th). Zimbabwe (153rd) meanwhile continued downward, with one of the continent’s most ruthless regimes facing a courageous but poorly-equipped independent press. In Eritrea, which at 166th is bottom-but-one of the world ranking, press freedom has not existed since 18 September 2001, when the privately-owned media was abolished,” the RSF report said.
In the rest of the world, it noted that the situation in Iraq (157th) had deteriorated further ”as the safety of journalists became more precarious”.
”At least 24 journalists and media assistants have been killed so far this year, making it the mostly deadly conflict for the media since World War II. A total of 72 media workers have been killed since the fighting began in March 2003,” the RSF said.
Cartoon row
Probably the biggest issue the media had to deal with on a global front this year was the Prophet Mohammed cartoon row.
It sparked violent and sometimes deadly international riots and caused one hundred militants to enlist as suicide bombers in Afghanistan. Swedish foreign minister Laila Freivalds resigned amidst allegations that she lied about shutting down a website posting the satirical cartoons. Two tabloid editors in Jordania were arrested after their Arab-based newspapers printed the controversial cartoons.
The local Mail & Guardian re-published one of these cartoons, alongside a story on the worldwide outrage sparked by the publishing in a Danish newspaper of 12 caricatures of Mohammed regarded as highly offensive to Muslims.
Sunday newspapers in South Africa were gagged from printing the cartoons, and Mail & Guardian editor Ferial Haffajee at the time said even her mother had to field phone calls about it. Haffajee later apologised for re-publishing one of the cartoons following a ruling by the Press Ombudsman.
Women’s rights
The media industry in South Africa came under scrutiny again in August when Sanef released ”The Glass Ceiling Report” which revealed a picture of slow transformation and media companies still dominated by ”old boys’ clubs”.
”One can safely concur from the data that discriminatory practices, structural inequalities, cultural factors, prejudices, patriarchy and sexism are still alive and well in our South African newsrooms. These are clearly prohibiting South Africa’s women journalists from realising their potential,” the report concluded.
The survey, containing 17 questions, was sent to all 149 Sanef members – 35 percent female and 64 percent male – and was completed by 40 respondents, including six editors, 29 senior news journalists and five trainers. Twenty-five of the 40 respondents were women.
”The intrinsic ‘maleness’ of the newsroom and journalism practice, as a result of a male hegemonic society, is a major cause for women not to be found in senior positions— It is clear that, although South African society is supported by a constitution that entrenches equal rights, this only exists on paper,” the report stated.
Sanef’s next step is a full audit of female representation in the media in October.
Empowerment
The biggest gossip in newsrooms this year was the real reason behind the dismissal of Johnnic Communications group CEO Connie Molusi, who just a few months ago, received straight A’s in his performance appraisal. The powers that be believe it is all linked to one man – Caxton boss Terry Moolman.
His company bought R129-million worth of shares in Johncom in the past year, fuelling speculation of a merger between the two companies. Moolman has long eyed the lucrative printing opportunities presented by Business Day and the Sunday Times and he may well have found remuneration packages at Johnnic unpalatable.
Rumour has it that Molusi was sent home with a golden handshake to make room for Moolman to take over the new company. Others say Molusi was given the boot for being opposed to a black economic empowerment deal involving the usual BEE suspects – Cyril Ramaphosa and Patrice Motsepe. Some believe Molusi’s axing was the result of a personality clash between him and Johncom chairman Mashudu Ramano.
For now, the industry will have to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. One thing is certain though, and that is that the rumblings in the media jungle have only just started. Definitely material for our retrospective piece next year, which might be about Zuma and Molusi all over again. Anything is possible in this town.
Quotes in the Media
”I don’t agree with people who said that you couldn’t take apart some of the things which Jacob Zuma said in court. So if he felt that a shower was going to reduce his chance of infection, I think the media was thoroughly justified in having a fair go at him. And that’s not trial by media that’s just commentary. I suppose we’re in the middle of a tabloid culture. The lines between public curiosity and public interest are blurring every day.” – Ferial Haffajee, editor, Mail & Guardian
”Icasa is a means for (certain councillors) to travel the world and fill their passports. Certain councillors just don’t pitch up for meetings. They postpone meetings to suit their needs without due regard to how it affects certain departments and stakeholders and operators.” – Shameen Naidoo, former executive secretary to the chair of Icasa
”The board of media and entertainment group Johnnic Communications today announced the suspension of group CEO Connie Molusi with immediate effect and full pay pending the outcome of a hearing to consider his performance.” – Johncom press statement
”The Film and Publications Bill— is clearly and unequivocally unconstitutional. But to proceed with it will mean a long fight and a lot of bad publicity for South Africa before the Constitutional Court eventually knocks it down.” – professor Anton Harber, head of journalism, University of Witwatersrand
”The most surprising thing since I took this job is the print media’s hostile attitude towards the SABC— Just look at the way they deal with us. Sometimes we get negative coverage, selective coverage, funny cartoons, the ‘Mampara of the Week’ or just nothing. That is it.” – Dali Mpofu, group CEO, SABC
”All the recipients of letters of demand for damages issued to certain media, on behalf of Mr. Jacob Zuma at the beginning of this month, have now indicated that they deny liability to pay damages. Mr. Zuma has consequently instructed his legal team to sue for damages.” – A statement issued by ‘The Office of Jacob Zuma’