(FXI/IFEX) – The FXI notes with great concern the African National Congress (ANC) members of parliament’s (MPs’) continued attacks on the national broadcaster. In yet another attack on the South African Broadcasting Corporation, on Wednesday 31 October 2001, the MPs criticised the broadcaster for its coverage on President Thabo Mbeki, saying that it is giving […]
(FXI/IFEX) – The FXI notes with great concern the African National Congress (ANC) members of parliament’s (MPs’) continued attacks on the national broadcaster. In yet another attack on the South African Broadcasting Corporation, on Wednesday 31 October 2001, the MPs criticised the broadcaster for its coverage on President Thabo Mbeki, saying that it is giving more publicity to opposition leaders than to the head of state.
The attack is the second in two days. On Tuesday 30 October, the National Assembly’s Communications Committee chairperson attacked the national broadcaster for its coverage of foreign policy and policies on the coverage of violence and accidents.
The FXI is concerned with both the continued attacks and the nature of the attacks. For MPs to launch such attacks on the broadcaster may be read as an attempt to intimidate journalists at the broadcaster. The broadcaster employs editors who are able to make professional decisions on content in term of both quality and quantity of news items. Moreover, there are organisations and mechanisms in place to deal with complaints to the media.
In the FXI’s opinion, the ruling party’s attack on the broadcaster is political and is not based on journalistic assessment. The ANC seems to be confusing the public broadcaster for their publicist desk.
