SANEF in partnership with the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism will be hosting a series of webinars to accompany the relaunch of the Reporting the Courts manual.
Webinar 1 : UNDERSTANDING THE LEGAL SYSTEM AND THE RULE OF LAW IN SOUTH AFRICA
Date : 9 DECEMBER 2021
Time : 10 AM – 11 AM
Rsvp : Webinar’s | IAJ
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Email: [email protected]
Website: SANEF
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) held its final council meeting for 2021 in Johannesburg, where robust discussions on critical issues affecting the news media industry were held.
The Council meeting noted how the industry continues to battle the devastating impact brought by the COVID-19 pandemic – ranging from the untimely passing of some of our colleagues to the continued negative financial impact of the pandemic on newsrooms.
Despite those challenges, 2021 proved to be an action-packed year for the organisation as SANEF embarked on several projects aimed at empowering journalists. These include:
25 Year Anniversary Book
In marking SANEF’s 25th anniversary, a book was produced were founder members, current editors and members contributed towards its success. The book was initiated and edited by Mary Papayya, the chairperson of SANEF’s Media Freedom Committee and Founder Editor.
Interaction with Presidency
SANEF is concerned by the lack of consistent engagements by the Presidency with the media. When President Cyril Ramaphosa came into office, we proposed that there should be a quarterly engagement with the media, where editors and senior journalists can ask him direct questions on the variety of issues facing the country. Sadly, this seems to have fallen through the cracks as there has been poor or no communication from the Presidency.
In July, there was a promise to engage with the media following the devastating July unrest. This did not happen.
SANEF has also called on the President to take questions following his updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite him acknowledging our request, this has never happened.
The latest in the general deterioration of SANEF’s relationship with the government was Friday afternoon’s last-minute cancellation by the Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele. The minister had earlier committed to attend the SANEF council meeting. There were poor reasons provided for the said cancellation.
Yet again, SANEF would like to remind the government that regular engagement is needed, and we will continue to encourage it.
In a country dealing with multiple crises including a deadly pandemic, a struggling economy, policy uncertainty, unanswered questions around the recent looting, South Africans deserve to hear about these and many other issues from the head of state.
SANEF has traditionally advocated for gatherings, including the Cabinet Indaba, to allow for a deeper understanding of the priorities of government to allow for quality reporting.
We urge the Presidency to consider reinstating this event. The last event was held in 2015, led by President Ramaphosa who was then deputy president.
Independent Media
The SANEF council also had a detailed debate on the continued ethical lapses at Independent Media- most notable is their continued publication of fabricated, misleading, and reputationally damaging stories on the so-called “Tembisa decuplets” – the latest being the ludicrous claim that the non-existent children had been trafficked.
SANEF is not only concerned about the impact of the false story on the wider industry but also the reversal of the hard work many organisations do to encourage pregnant women to use health facilities to deliver their babies. Independent Media continues to publish these fabricated stories with no evidence provided. The exploitation of the pain and suffering of those parents who have lost their children to human trafficking is heartless and deceitful.
We urge organisations, professional bodies, and civil society voices to emulate the commendable position taken by Molo Songololo to not take part in the planned docu-series meant to further whitewash the facts about the non-existent decuplets’ story.
Raymond Louw
SANEF notes and celebrates the honour bestowed on one of our veteran founders, the late Raymond Louw who – at the National Orders event – was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga posthumously by President Ramaphosa. Not only was Louw a veteran journalist who immensely contributed to journalism in SA, but he was also a media freedom champion whose contribution to journalism is well documented even beyond SA’s borders.
2022
As we march into the new year, we do so as an industry faced with various challenges such as the sustainability of the news media, sustaining critical media jobs, declining revenues, the ongoing issue of the safety of journalists, and misinformation, to name a few. These are challenges SANEF, through the cooperation of various stakeholders, is passionate to address as we seek to continue maintaining the media’s rightful place in our constitutional democracy.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists, and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics, and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
For more information please contact:
nternational Day for Universal Access to Information
The 28th of September 2021 marks the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) – as proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2019, which then reiterates that the importance of the right of access to information cannot be disputed.
The right gives meaning to the constitutional values of accountability, responsiveness, and openness, and enables the public to seek transparency from both public and private sector actors. It is both an important right, as well as an enabler of the full range of fundamental rights.
However, 21 years after the then ground-breaking enactment of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA), it is apparent that there is an urgent need to reform PAIA to make it useful and effective in the digital era.
As such, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), and other likeminded organisations, supported by access to information activists and legal experts, have embarked on a process to draft proposed amendments to PAIA in an effort to ensure that PAIA meaningfully realises the right of access to information in a timely and effective manner. The proposed amendments draw on the work by the South African Human Rights Commission, our courts and civil society actors in identifying the shortcomings and pitfalls that currently exist in the provisions and implementation of PAIA.
Importantly, the proposed amendments also seek to bring PAIA in line with regional human rights standards on access to information, including the work of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) through the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa and the Model Law on Access to Information for Africa.
In the digital era, it is imperative that the right of access to information be fostered, both on- and offline, to safeguard a culture of transparency and accountability in South Africa. It is therefore crucial that all persons in South Africa have meaningful access to the internet and online information, and that disclosures of information are made available through different platforms that render such information readily accessible to the public.
In summary, the proposed amendments have been informed by the following five key principles, which are primacy, maximum disclosure, proactive disclosure, international commitments, and online protections.:
Underlying these principles is a core concern about the efficacy of PAIA in meaningfully realising the right of access to information. In the more than two decades since its enactment, a number of pertinent issues have come to the fore, such as delayed, stifled or incomplete disclosures of information. This cannot be allowed to persist.
It is well-accepted that access to information plays a particularly important role in democratic processes and empowering the electorate to make informed choices. This includes in respect of electing office-bearers, in participating in decision-making and law-making processes, and in holding public and private sector actors accountable for their acts or omissions in the execution of their duties.
As we look to the future of access to information in South Africa, we continue to strive for a society that is underpinned by our constitutional values and democratic governance. While an updated PAIA is one of the instruments through which this can be done, there remains much work ahead before the right of access to information can be meaningfully realised in South Africa.
The work to reform and improve PAIA to be fit for purpose in the digital age has reached an important milestone. After months of work by a team of lawyers to incorporate the principles referred to above, and address problems encountered by members of the Access To Information Network, journalists and others in civil society to use PAIA, a draft PAIA Amendment Bill is now available for review and comment.
PAIA users and experts are encouraged to review the draft bill to make sure that their concerns and proposals to improve PAIA are captured in the proposed amendments. MMA will also arrange consultation opportunities to discuss the proposed changes in the Draft Amendment Bill.
The final step in this civil society driven process will be to hand the draft over to the Information Regulator, the Human Rights Commission and the Department of Justice for consideration and processing by the executive and parliament.
If you would like to submit your comments or get involved in further consultations on the draft PAIA Amendment Bill, send an email to [email protected]
Please check out this link as well:
https://mediamonitoringafrica.org/democracy-governance/paia-reform/
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists, and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics, and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
For more information please contact:
Socials
Twitter: @SAEditorsForum
Email: [email protected]
Website: SANEF
South African National Editors’ Forum commends the bravery of the country’s journalists, who are working under very difficult conditions while navigating the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. The recent unrests in Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal saw journalists’ lives being threatened and at least 5 radio stations attacked, and their equipment stolen.
SANEF held a virtual non-elective Annual General Meeting, on Saturday 14 August, and discussed several issues including the challenges facing the industry – from media freedom, media sustainability, training of journalists ahead of the elections, access to information, education & training, and support for community media.
The AGM reasserted the pivotal role that journalism continues to play in our constitutional democracy and the importance of the work that has earnestly started to get the media industry to be financially sustainable.
Sbu Ngalwa, SANEF chairperson, said: “We have a lot of work ahead of us as an industry. We are now fully engaged with the work towards the sustainability of our profession. Members attending this AGM yet again reiterated their commitment and support to all efforts to ensure that we continue to enjoy a strong and independent media which produces quality journalism”.
Five community radio stations support
SANEF has decided to support five community stations that were recently affected by the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The five stations, Intokozo FM in Umlazi, Kasie FM in Katlehong, Alex FM in Alexandra, Mams FM in Mamelodi and Westside FM 98.9 MHz in Kagiso, will each been assisted with R20 000 to use towards the purchase of equipment they need as they work towards recovery, fully focused on serving their communities once more. The five stations were also specially recognised at the Nat Nakasa Awards, held on Saturday evening in Johannesburg.
Covid-19
Since our last AGM in August 2020, Covid-19 has continued to cause pain and destruction to our industry. It has done so not only through the loss of jobs and revenue, but we have lost a number of colleagues to the pandemic. SANEF sends its condolences to their families and colleagues. We have also seen our frontline reporting staff going out to cover stories and risking infection, which has affected newsroom operations. Importantly, working closely with the government, we managed to get most of our media workers under the age of 35 vaccinated. An achievement made possible through working closely with the Department of Health and the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and ultimately, the National Coronavirus Command Council.
Media Freedom
Recently, an unprecedented number of journalists have been threatened for doing their job. In some extreme instances they have been threatened with death, for no reason other than the colour of their skin or the media house they work for or for simply doing their work.
We continue to condemn these as these instances of intimidation have grown since our last AGM. Media freedom remains sacrosanct, and we will continue to defend it as one of our guiding principles as an organisation. SANEF continues to call on law enforcement agencies, political parties and members of the public to respect the work of journalists and to allow them to do their work, without any fear or favour. We will continue speaking out against transgressions when it comes to media freedom, not only in South Africa, but throughout the continent as we continue to work closely with partner organisations such as the Southern African Editors Forum, The African Editors Forum, Committee to Protect Journalists, International Federation of Journalists and WAN-IFRA.
Education and training
On training, SANEF continues to be heavily invested in the training of young and mid-career journalists as we seek to enable them to not only be better reporters, but excellent media managers who can ensure the future of a vibrant media industry in our country.
SANEF undertook a consultative process with community, health, and other journalists to develop a guide for reporting on Covid-19 in South Africa. The “Reporting the Pandemic ” guide highlights the importance of good local Covid-19 coverage and provides journalists and media practitioners with the much-needed technical understanding to accurately convey information about the pandemic. The guide was developed by SANEF and FrayCollege – sponsored by Internews SA to assist journalists and media practitioners to navigate the novel experience of working during a global pandemic.
SANEF has started the work of training reporters to enable them to cover local government elections and to understand municipal finances ahead of the local government elections. We have expanded our 2019 elections portal, with a range of reporting resources – including a local government and election data dashboard and training material. – see elections.sanef.org.za. The portal has been designed so that it’s easier to add materials for future elections. On the safety of journalists during the election period, the portal contains a quick guide for journalists on the best ways to report online and other harassment directly to the police, the SA Human Rights Commission and the IEC. Journalists will also be able to submit requests to SANEF for support with complaints. Community and first-time election reporters will also be able to access some of the online resources through Pocket Reporter, a mobile app which features templates for election stories.
We are finalising a Reporting the Courts manual, to ensure that reporters are equipped to accurately cover, understand some of the complex legalese and also grasp sensitivities when it comes to reporting on Gender-Based Violence and cases involving children. The manuscript of the Reporting the Courts handbook has been fully revised and was sent out to a small focus group of readers for comment. It is now in the final stages of correction and proof-reading in response to those readers’ comments and some very recent court judgments impacting on content (e.g., the ConCourt ruling on the Jon Qwelane case). A respected judge has been invited to write the foreword. Once this is received, proofed, and inserted, the manuscript will be ready for layout as an online but printable on demand publication. We will also print a minimal number of courtesy hard copies for donors, contributors etc.
Mental Health and Journalists – SANEF/SADAG partnership
SANEF launched a critically important partnership with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) to prioritise newsroom and reporter wellness. Many of our colleagues suffer from deep trauma, anxiety, and depression – the effects of which can be absolutely devastating. A very successful webinar has already been held and the programme will be rolled-out to newsrooms across the country.
We encourage journalists to use the SMS service (31985). The service – which includes individual counselling – is available free of charge.
Media Sustainability
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, SANEF managed to raise money to provide relief for journalists who have lost their jobs during the lockdown period. We would like to thank all our funders who put financial resources behind our Media Relief Fund. Four successful rounds have been completed so far, with close to R1,7 million being disbursed. Recently, an announcement was made for the fifth and last round of applications.
After this round, all efforts will now be directed towards journalism sustainability as SANEF leads with research aimed at finding sustainable business models that ensure the future of journalism in South Africa.
The recent research by SANEF which culminated in the report titled, Media Sustainability and Universal Access to Public Interest Journalism, made several recommendations including:
New Minister in the Presidency
SANEF welcomes the appointment of a new Minister in the Presidency, Mr. Mondli Gungubele. We are hopeful we will continue to have a fruitful working relationship with his ministry as we seek to not only partner with the government to ensure media sustainability but also to have robust engagement with the president and his executive.
We had already started engagements with the late Jackson Mthembu to discuss media sustainability and we hope Minister Gungubele will continue with those discussions in due course. We hope President Cyril Ramaphosa will honour his promise to have regular engagement with the media and to take questions when he addresses the nation on various major decisions and announcements by his government.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists, and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics, and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
For more information please contact:
The SANEF Reporting the Courts handbook, first published in 2006, has now undergone a complete update and will be available as an online, printable resource for all journalists.
To accompany the relaunch of the handbook in this updated form, SANEF is seeking bids from training providers to create five online training sessions to support users, which can be posted alongside the text on the SANEF website for access at any time.
Ideally, these resources should not be simply recorded, text-based lectures. Rather, SANEF is seeking imaginative proposals to create engaging, interactive sessions – for example, a live teaching session or panel discussion enhanced by interactive elements; a podcast or a short video/graphic presentation – which should be:
Proposals should detail the content proposed for each session, the format envisaged, and a timeframe for producing all five sessions, as well as total cost with budget heads indicated.
Send your proposal in writing to Dzudzie Netshisaulu by email: [email protected]
DEADLINE: 22 August 2021
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists, and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics, and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
Website: www.sanef.org.za
For more information please contact:
Socials
Twitter: @SAEditorsForum
Email: [email protected]
Website: SANEF
Every constitutional democracy thrives on accountability and transparency. It is even more critical for any democratic government to be accessible, especially at a time when the nation’s stability and the security of its citizens are under threat as we have seen in our country – with the looting and destruction of the past week in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng. All of this takes place as the country is still grappling with the third wave of Covid-19.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has periodically addressed the nation over the past seventeen months largely about the country’s response to the pandemic.
The President has publicly committed to taking questions at the end of his speeches but has yet to do so – despite repeated assurances that he would do so.
Once more, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) calls on President Ramaphosa to take media questions when addressing the nation on these critical matters of national importance.
The frustration within the media fraternity is that the ministerial briefings, which usually follow his addresses, leave the media with more questions than answers, and not adequate time allocated to questions.
The past few days have been tough on all South Africans, hence more clarity is being sought from the government on its response on critical matters such as the economy, security, and food security.
As SANEF – given the events of the past week – we would also appreciate if we could see more interaction from the national leadership of the police, defence, and intelligence services, giving daily updates on developments.
We reiterate that the violent and deadly incidents of the past few days have also highlighted the need for the President to take the lead and field questions from the media. Our duty as the media fraternity is to help the public understand these critical issues and ensure that crucial and credible information is filtered through to our audiences – to dispel myths, disinformation and misinformation campaigns.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists, and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics, and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
For more information please contact:
Socials
Twitter: @SAEditorsForum
Email: [email protected]
Website: SANEF
Join us for the launch of the Reporting the Pandemic Guide, a resource developed by SANEF and its partners to assist South African journalists and media practitioners to navigate working during a global pandemic.
Date: 20 July 2021
Time: 10.00am – 11.00am
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/36jC7fC
The launch will include a panel discussion facilitated by Mia Malan, founding editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa, on Vigilance in Reporting Covid, why heightened knowledge and vigilance is needed when reporting a pandemic.
Please download the guide here SANEF COVID GUIDE 2021 A5 SINGLE PAGES
The SIU has submitted a R14.2 billion COVID-19 investigation report to President Cyril Ramaphosa on 30 April 2021. The report includes outcomes of decontamination of schools in Gauteng and probe into COVID-19 communication tender.
Join SANEF to hear Head of SIU Advocate Andy Mothibi on ongoing investigations into State Owned Entities and government departments outside COVID-19.
There are moments where the South African media falls short, eroding trust in journalism at a time when accountability, factual and fair reporting are crucial.
To restore trust in the media, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) commissioned an independent inquiry headed by retired Judge Kathleen Satchwell and panelists and her fellow panelists Rich Mkhondo and Nikiwe Bikitsha to investigate ethical lapses facing local journalism.
When this seminal inquiry report was released in January 2020, SANEF undertook the role to “interrogate” the recommendations and develop an action plan to implement some of the findings.
This report now forms the basis of a four-part series of webinars, bringing together key stakeholders for an in-depth review of the Satchwell Report findings. Each webinar will define key recommendations to put forward during a national online conference in May.
The webinar series will take a deep dive into the seven industry categories of recommendations outlined in the report. The discussions will contribute and build-up to the conference. The conference will work towards debating the recommendations that should be included in the five-year ethics action plan.
May marks World Press Freedom Month and on May 3 various events will be held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration celebrated under the theme of “Information as a Public Good”.
“The SANEF ethics conference planned for later in the month will bring together journalists from across the country, civil society and other role players to develop a clear plan to implement the report recommendations,” said SANEF Secretary General Mahlatse Mahlase.
“The terms of reference of the inquiry were to look at possibilities of ethical lapses across the industry and to find solutions to enhance quality, ethical journalism. More than ever journalists need to strengthen the bond of trust with the public and we can only do that when we openly confront what is wrong and correct it,” Mahlase said.
The panel engaged with 167 individuals and entities, perused about 200 documents and sought ad hoc research inputs (including a comprehensive longitudinal study of the work of the South African Press Council). Newsroom practitioners, owners, academics, consumers and concerned individuals and institutions also gave their input. Their ideas guided the final 69 recommendations which covered seven thematic areas.
Interested persons can sign up to participate in the webinar discussions on the following dates.
Do join on Wednesday for this critical session:
Wednesday April 21, 2021 at 3pm – 5pm
Theme 1 – Media Freedom including dealing with mis and disinformation.
Theme 2 – Media Diversity including counteracting racial and gender biases and prejudices, racism and sexism in the media.
Moderated by SANEF Ethics Committee Chair Monica Laganparsad with expert input from Report Panellist Rich Mkhondo, Former Ombud Joe Thloloe and Rhodes University Professor Anthea Garmen.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcscuigqj8rHNXzrRn83bbw9_UC0Epf0uNT
Friday April 23, 2021 at 3pm – 5pm
Theme 3 – Strengthening ethics codes and principles
Theme 4 – Strengthening the regulators
Moderated by SANEF Media Freedom Committee chair Mary Papayya with expert input from Wits University Professor Franz Kruger Aidan White, Ethical Journalism Network and PCSA director Latiefa Mobara.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsfuChqj0jGtFiZrKLhHXQaJ51qE_mE6aN
Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at 10 am – 12 am
Theme 5 – Safety of journalists
Theme 6 – Strengthening Continuing professional development
Moderated by SANEF E&T Committee chair Tshamano Makhadi with expert input from International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) executive director Elisa Munoz and Africa Check executive director Noko Makgato.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrcOmgqjIoE9VWSJ1S5uN40w9_6CvKwZVj
Wednesday 05 May 2021 at 10 am – 11 am
Theme 7 – Financial sustainability of the media
Moderated by Access to Information and Media Policy Committee chair Izak Minnaar.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodeGuqD4iGdBKQ3Y1ZOShfk3jYXWW_YbI
The conference will map the vision of South Africa’s media journey to date. It will be a means to collaborate on the vision for tomorrow’s media that will hopefully reflect more accountable, more factual, and fairer reporting processes.
Conference details will be released soon. Access the Media Ethics and Credibility report here.
