Creator
Franz Kruger
Franz Krüger is adjunct professor and director of the Wits Radio Academy. He is also the ombud for the Mail & Guardian, a member of the South African Press Appeals Panel and the editor of www.journalism.co.za.His book Black, white and grey: journalism ethics in South Africa was published in 2004, while a second title, The Radio Journalism Toolkit, was published in 2006.He is a journalist of some 25 years’ experience and has worked in print and broadcasting in South Africa, Namibia and the UK. Krüger set up the alternative East Cape News Agencies in the 80s and was part of the first management team of the democratic era at the SABC.
Alarm raised by ship’s cats still resonates
Journalists must be ever aware of the need for fairness and accuracy, but regulation is anathema.
Smutty take obscures the true role sex played
The way the M&G handled a review of apartheid spy Olivia Forsyth’s book has triggered angry questions about patriarchal attitudes in the newsroom.
Public sentiment is a poor gauge of the need for balance
In the small space between generally accepted truths and contentious issues, editors need sufficient critical distance.
M&G left the door wide open for critics
The newspaper erred in turning a suggestion made at an ANC workshop into a party decision.
Ship out to isolated St Helena before the planes land
Drawn by romance and remoteness, a family embarks on a holiday to St Helena.
Let’s dismount from objectivity’s high horse and start talking
A journalism of conversation is a responsibility to the quality and inclusiveness of the debates that ripple across society.
Pistorius trial puts new media ecology to the test
The murder trial of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has provided a stark depiction of how the media landscape is changing under our feet.
Police battles require careful reporting
The lack of trust in security structures is spilling over into reports about them.
British media probe lifts lid on a cesspool of violation
The press commission’s system of self-regulation, generally seen as ineffectual, is certain to face an extensive shake-up, writes Franz Kruger.
The only guarantee of freedom is freedom
Last week’s parliamentary vote for the Protection of State Information Bill shows us the country we could become.
Dying all over the front pages
The Libyan fighters who dragged Muammar Gaddafi from that stormwater drain made good use of an additional weapon: their cellphones.
Reporters trust or ignore sources at their own peril
Very little in the news is, in fact, seen first-hand by reporters.
Media sets new standards to defend self-regulation
<b>Franz Krüger</b> looks at some of the key elements of the Press Council of South Africa’s review that was released on August 18.
Leaked ‘facts’ fertile ground for local scandal
The British phone-hacking scandal seems to illustrate that a country’s media will get the scandal it deserves, writes <b>Franz Krüger</b>.
Not everything offensive is hate speech
Just as the world focused on the birth of a democratic SA, unimaginable horrors were being visited on people in another corner of the continent.