Exploring the reasons behind Independent Media's controversial withdrawal from the Press Council of SA and the implications for press freedom in South Africa
Since Independent Media rejoined the council, the PCSA has been used as a battering ram to destroy its editorial independence and force it to conform to the mainstream narrative. Picture: SuppliedTHE recent claim by the Press Council of SA of “expelling” Independent Media requires correction and context: The media house withdrew first.
Consider the absurdity: How can a voluntary body, whose members join and leave at will, reject a withdrawal? It’s akin to an employer refusing a volunteer employee’s resignation but opting to fire them instead. The legal effect is almost the same, but the gesture is vindictive and spiteful. The Council was doing nothing but a desperate attempt to maintain the illusion of control and authority and narrative control.
The SA National Editors Forum , which holds significant influence within the Press Council through its power to nominate some of the adjudication committee members, joined the fray. Their March 8 statement about my article and “calling for an end to cyberbullying of women journalists” appeared strategically timed to influence the case.
At the PCSA hearing for the Maughan case, I witnessed firsthand the racism, arrogance and disdain with which Independent Media was treated. The questioning was not aimed at understanding my article or the reasons behind the analogies and hyperbole used; it was an exercise in hostility and prejudgement. A day before the hearing, Anton Harber even wrote an article about the News24 complaint, seemingly setting the stage for the forthcoming judgement.
The Press Council’s attempts to control the narrative of Independent Media’s departure through claims of “expulsion” rather than addressing the substantial criticisms in the withdrawal letter speaks volumes. Their actions reveal an institution more concerned with maintaining power and control than upholding genuine press freedom and ethical journalism.
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