Scandalised
Recent disclosures by former Cape Argus journalist Ashley Smith, that he accepted monetary inducements to write politically biased stories have scandalised the South African media community. Smith claimed in his affidavit to the National Prosecuting Authority that he wrote complimentary stories about former Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool, while discrediting the political rivals who were contesting Rasool's leadership of the ANC in the province.
The spin-doctoring exercises performed by Smith and his political editor at the time were allegedly compensated via a public relations company where Smith's wife was a director, and which received payments from the provincial government.
The saving grace in this saga, states the FXI, is that the publication in question, the Cape Argus, has published the confession prominently and reiterated its commitment to ethical journalism. According to the FXI, several of Rasool's rivals have publicly stated that they are considering suing the newspaper owners for defamation. Smith's declaration could also lead to Rasool and others being tried for corruption.
The FXI statement continues: "The media independence so strongly enshrined in the South African constitution and encapsulated in public demand for balanced, unbiased reportage can be traced back to the dark ages of apartheid. Then, while the 'fourth estate' was often the only source of truth in a beleaguered society, there were undeniably some media organs that had a less laudable history of collusion with the apartheid state. Smith's confession raises the spectre of those times, when the nexus between politics and journalism was often murky and shameful. South Africans never want those ghosts resurrected."
"This is the thin edge of the wedge, where journalists act as lapdogs for political masters," observes newly appointed FXI director Ayesha Kajee. "Unchecked, it results in embedded journalism of the worst type, as seen in the war in Iraq in 2003, with journalists accompanying American troops, while purporting to give independent coverage of the conflict."
The FXI statement concludes with the reminder that the media has a responsibility to ensure that consumers receive balanced and nuanced content, ensured by including multiple perspectives, corroborating sources and rigorous fact-checking. The journalist's creed of accuracy and fairness may be likened to the medical practitioner's Hippocratic Oath, and ought to be as sacrosanct.
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