(Graphic: John McCann/M&G)
Themba Sepotokele is the antithesis of many a government spokesperson. He’s diligent, hard-working, accessible and knows his way around the South African media ecosystem. He doesn’t go awol, ignore calls or act like he has celebrity status.
Perhaps that’s why he’s one of the best people around to put together a book called Being a Spokesperson, which outlines some of the “famous brands” that have tried to speak on behalf of the government in their capacities as spokespeople for presidents or ministers.
Sepotokele knows his shit. He has been in the communications trade for more than 30 years, including time as head of media engagement in the Government Communication & Information System and as head of media liaison at Gauteng’s department of local government.
Humble and a deep thinker, he also has years of journalism behind him — on The Star and The Sowetan, among others — and a rich history of media training, including some seminal work at Rhodes University’s Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership.
His book looks at how some of the government’s more visible spokespeople have handled their roles since the advent of democracy. It’s a fascinating reminder of how many of them — think Parks Mankahlana — have tripped up, or been tripped up, by the often-conflicting demands and requirements of either their principals or the journalists who form their “client base”.
(For younger readers: Mankahlana was a trusted voice of president Nelson Mandela but was demonised for “lying” about his principal’s wedding with Graça Machel in 1998. But as Sepotokele writes: “What the media did not know was that the wedding had been kept so tightly under wraps that even the president’s spokesperson was left in the dark … he fell from being regarded as the darling of the media to being referred to as Pinocchio and other revolting nicknames.”)
Being a government spokesperson is no easy task, as many guests at Sepotokele’s book launch at Exclusive Books in Rosebank, Joburg, testified last week. They’re the cheese in an often-conflicting sandwich between politicians and press people.
Some of the government communicators present bemoaned the lack of maturity, leadership and commitment to “the truth” that exists in their world, with politicians fighting internecine political battles through media platforms rather than focusing on ensuring the public understand what their elected leaders are doing for them.
But they’re not the only ones facing challenges. Journalists at the launch were quick to point out the consequences of the economic devastation that bedevils the South African media.
Plummeting audiences, revenue and leadership skills have resulted in newsrooms where journalists rarely have the resources to do their job properly. As a result, newsroom leaders have had to cut back on in-depth coverage and often must chase clicks rather than substance.
And then, of course, there’s the ethical collapse of which we’re all aware.
Reflecting on this, Sepotokele writes: “It is an undeniable fact that the noble craft of journalism has over the past 30 years also been littered with charlatans and chancers. Some were serial transgressors of the code of conduct and media ethics governing the profession.
“Others were embedded and allowed to be used as pawns in political battles. Then there were also those who stuck their fingers in the cookie jar or got involved in plain criminality.”
No names needed here …
The net effect? The supply side — the people putting out information — has massive deficiencies and so does the demand side — the people who want information. It’s harder for journalists to get reliable information than it was, and harder for spokespeople to get fact-based coverage for their principals.
As a result, the gap between spokespeople and journalists is widening.
And who suffers? The people who rely on the media when it comes to making decisions around who to support, who to vote for, and who to vote against. Or, as was the case in the last election, who not to vote for.
Sepotokele’s book describes the relationship between spokespeople and journalists as follows: “In a democracy, it is important that the media and government nurture, harness, build and foster mutual relations. No matter the mudslinging, bickering, infighting, misunderstanding and finger-pointing that might take place, those tasked with building media relations must always look at themselves in the mirror instead of breaking it.
“Equally so, journalists should always adhere to the basic tenets of journalism. Both sides need each other for democracy to thrive.”
And then there’s the importance of “the truth” — even though what constitutes the truth is usually in the eye of the beholder.
Sepotokele’s observation: “Even though government work is and should not be a secret, many spokespersons are tempted to hide the truth. Despite their roles being clearly articulated in their job description, some spokespersons have failed spectacularly to communicate the plans, programmes and policies of government.”
He adds: “Some see themselves as extensions of their political principals. They even parrot and mimic them. Some spokespersons have often engaged in public spats with journalists, notably on social media. What is more worrisome is that some journalists-turned-spokespersons, who are supposed to be defenders of media freedom, throw mud at the media instead of engaging it.”
In writing this, Sepotokele highlights the difficulties of transitioning from being a journalist to being a spokesperson, which has been the undoing of many a good former reporter.
“As soon as they assume the role of government spokesperson, they become gatekeepers and defenders of the indefensible. Why spokespersons, especially former journalists, regard the media as the enemy is also mind-boggling. Why they expect their erstwhile colleagues in the media to turn a blind eye when ethics of government communication and media policy are being trampled upon is unfathomable.
“Spokespersons who fail to respond to media inquiries because ‘your deadline is not my deadline’ are not worthy to be called public representatives. So are those who question the motive or agenda of journalists who ask difficult questions. It is the media’s role to ask questions. It is also their agenda to source information.
“Such spokespersons show not only their poor understanding of the important role the media plays, but their lack of appreciation of their work of providing and disseminating information.
“Either [that or] they don’t have a media and communication strategy, media and social media policy and plan crisis communication strategy in place. If they do, such strategies and policies are either gathering dust in archives or were outsourced or developed without their involvement.
“If they operate without these tools, then their role in the entire government communication system is questionable.”
Sepotokele’s pointed observation, after all this, is: “Being a spokesperson is, for many, about service. For some, it is but just another job. However, it is not a job for the faint-hearted. Many have been badly burnt while doing it.
“As someone who has been in the belly of the beast, I know where most of the bodies have been buried owing to tactical blunders they made. In many cases, some of the harm was self-inflicted. In other cases, the harm was created by those [on whose behalf] they speak.”
Sepotokele’s closing words on this relationship neatly sum up the challenge: “Even though they might be at loggerheads at times, spokespersons need journalists and journalists need spokespersons. They are as if they are in a dance, gyrating to the tune I Need You and You Need Me …”
This conversation about government and the media, this clumsy dance, should not only be of interest to spokespeople and journalists. The quality of their dance moves shapes many of today’s public narratives and forms the foundation of what people know about their public representatives, which is why it’s so important that Sepotokele has written about it.
Sure, an increasing amount of public discourse takes place on social media. But the trigger for that discourse, and the direction it takes, is usually informed by what people have seen on online news sites and TV or heard on radio. The mainstream media is still the source and spokespeople are still a source for the source.
So, although it’s a dance that can never be fully choreographed, and shouldn’t be, it’s in everyone’s interest that we have better, more strategically focused spokespeople who are able to do their job properly, and a cadre of journalists who are able to do the same.
It’s in society’s interest that spokespeople and journalists approach the dance floor with at least a modicum of professionalism. And, of course, that they at least have some sense of rhythm once they’re on it.
• Chris Vick is a former journalist and government spokesperson, among other things.
• Being a Spokesperson is published by Mange Publishing.