"I think the media will be under scrutiny," William Bird, head of Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), told Bizcommunity.com this week. "But considering that one of their responsibilities is to hold politicians to account - for media to be scrutinised isn't a bad thing."
Plotting to undermine
The ANC, which at the time singled out Sunday Times, Business Day and the Mail & Guardian for what it called "ill-founded" reports, complained that there were people in smoke-filled newsrooms plotting how best to undermine the ANC in the next edition.
Bird said: "I am not sure that 'all' media were wrong last time; it depends how the results are analysed. What is clear, though, is that if the media allow their agendas to be set by the parties and not the issues, then we can expect similar trends in media coverage."
Under the headline "Voters desert the ANC over delivery" in its 19 February 2006 edition, Sunday Times wrote: "Voters in SA's six major urban areas will send a strong signal of discontent over service delivery in next month's local government election, reducing the ANC's majority but keeping it in power."
"Credibility on the line"
Business Day reported: "With its credibility on the line going into the March 1 municipal polls, the ruling ANC has been forced to adopt a 'shape up or ship out' approach to its election candidates... The ANC has presided over the near-collapse of local government over the past five years, and Mbeki's vow to monitor the performance of local politicians more closely is the party's last-gasp attempt to regain credibility."
According to the Mail & Guardian of 26 February 2006, "the ANC is fighting its toughest election yet. The ruling party's monolithic hold on power is showing distinct cracks, as strongholds have splintered..."
The ANC, which still has memories of these "disproportionate" reports five years down the line, continues to maintain that all media actors do wear political colours, which motivates them to pursue a particular hidden agenda. However, some observers say politicians' lack of knowledge of how the media works in a democratic society pushes them to paint all the media with one brush and unfairly criticise journalists.
Bird intervened: "We need to also be clear that when we talk about media, we don't lump all media together. Broadcasters have a very clear mandate and are regulated by ICASA. In an election period, special rules apply to their coverage of political parties, as well as to the running of party broadcasts etc.
"In essence, it means that broadcasters are obligated to provide coverage that is balanced, fair, accurate and equitable of parties. Print media are under no such obligation. In fact, if print media wish to support a political party, they should be encouraged to make their choice public.
"To suggest that there is a hidden agenda is simply not borne out by the media monitoring results we have done over the election periods. This is not to say that there are not media which support one party or another but that there is very little evidence of any sustained bias by the mass media, print or broadcast."
