The COVID-19 (SARS CoV-2) virus is a new infection. (SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.) What we know about it is growing and changing all the time as scientists conduct more research. So as journalists, citizens and people who want to stay healthy, your first responsibility is to use only reliable information sources to guide your reporting and your actions. please see click the following link for more on this. sanef covid pamphlet web version (002)
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply concerned that journalists were assaulted and harassed on Tuesday when protesting farmers stormed the Senekal Magistrate’s Court in the Free State.
Citizen journalist Marizka Coetzer and photographer Tracy-Lee Stark were assaulted and their equipment damaged when a crowd of approximately 1 000 farmers protested outside the court against the murder of 22 year old Brendin Horner on Tuesday afternoon.
“… they requested that no photographs be taken, when I refused the request speaking in English, one farmer called me a ‘liberal bitch’ and I was physically assaulted and my camera was grabbed”, photographer Stark said.
“They threatened to smash it while pushing me around and continuing to physically assault me. Another farmer stepped in and told them to back off. I was told to leave the area immediately with continued shouting that I should remove my liberal self and leave for my own safety”, she said.
The violent protest in Senekal happened barely a day after writer and columnist, Ismail Lagardien was seriously injured covering abalone protests in Kleinmond, Western Cape that also turned violent on Monday 5 October.
SANEF is seriously troubled by the growing trend of communities attacking reporters seeking to vent their anger and frustration against government authorities. Journalists deserve the right to a safe working environment like all workers in South Africa. When going out in the field to tell community stories they should not be subjected to such hazardous and life-threatening working conditions.
We call on AfriForum, the Unite Against Farm Murders movement and various political parties, including the Democratic Alliance, that participated in the gathering before the court proceedings, to protect journalists and promote the safety of journalists. They need to help combat the impunity of those who attack the media.
We call on law-enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate these incidents and to bring perpetrators to book. It is only through the decisive and firm actions of state organs that criminals and members of society will stop attacking journalists.
SANEF is campaigning for all traumatised journalists to receive counselling assistance from their employers.
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.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply concerned by the attack on writer and columnist, Ismail Lagardien who was seriously injured covering the Kleinmond abalone protests on Monday 5th October 2020.
SANEF believes that every citizen should be seriously troubled by such reports as journalists go out in the field to tell community stories, both fairly and accurately. When a frustrated community turns its anger on journalists, it has severe consequences for our democracy. The media must reflect all sides in conflict situations – and the public must respect the essential role of the press.
Lagardien was seriously injured on Monday evening after protests erupted in the Overberg town of Kleinmond following the arrest of five alleged perlemoen poachers. Lagardien is now in hospital awaiting surgery for a broken jaw sustained when a brick flew in through the passenger window.
Relaying events via text message on Tuesday morning (he was unable to speak audibly due to his injury), he wrote: “I saw a roadblock and tyres being laid out, so I drove through, towards the informal settlements to find out more.”
At the time he had his equipment and camera out. “That’s when the rock came through the passenger window,” he said. Speaking from his hospital bed on Monday night, Mr Lagardien told Daily Maverick his jaw was fractured, and he had several teeth missing.
While at this stage it cannot be ascertained for sure if Lagardien was in fact targeted randomly as a motorist or specifically because he is a member of the media, this would not be the first time that journalists appear to have become the scapegoat of misdirected anger from some members of the public. These incidents include:
In February KayaFM journalist Gavin Emmanuel was assaulted and injured while covering a service delivery protest in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria. The township had come to a standstill after main roads were blockaded with rubble and burning tyres.
In Embalenhle, Secunda, in February, freelance journalist Desmond Latham, as well as a female staff member from Frayintermedia and female UNICEF employee were assaulted allegedly by members of a local taxi association.
Criminals robbed an eNCA reporter, Xoli Mngambi and a crew on assignment in Mamelodi East of their equipment in February.
Three journalists were held up at gunpoint and robbed of their belongings while covering a World Aids Day event in Khayelitsha last December.
In April, a SABC Durban news crew while out in the field reporting on the impact of the lockdown on rural communities in Ulundi, KwaZulu Natal, were blocked and threatened by a group, not related to their news story. Community members threatened to burn the SABC news vehicle.
One person has been arrested for public violence in Kleinmond, near the town of Hermanus, following the protests that erupted on Monday.
SANEF believes that attacks on media professionals are often perpetrated by organised opportunistic criminals, crime groups, militia and security personnel, making local journalists among the most vulnerable.
We call on every citizen to protect the right to freedom of opinion and expression for all. Promoting the safety of journalists and combatting impunity for those who attack them are central elements of democracy.
We call on law-enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate these incidents and to bring perpetrators to book. It is only through the decisive and firm actions of state organs that criminals and members of society will stop attacking journalists.
SANEF is hoping that all traumatised journalists will receive counselling assistance from their employers. We wish Mr Lagardien a speedy recovery.
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.
Protection of children is critical in South Africa
Despite the special protection under our Constitution and the law, and the power they sometimes acquire in the news, children are often underrepresented or marginalised in the news story, when in fact they are deserving of protection, and reportage that is empowering and encouraging of their development.
At the end of 2019, the Constitutional Court grappled with finding the appropriate “balance between protecting children, promoting agency and ensuring freedom of expression and open justice are not unduly curbed”.
Striking the appropriate balance between the rights and interests of children and those of the media has and continues to present challenges and tensions. However, it is possible and ultimately imperative, for the media to fulfil its role in advancing freedom of expression whilst simultaneously ensuring the rights of children are promoted and respected.
Children make up 34% of our population, which translates to around 19.7 million people under the age of 18.1
Children are afforded a special place in our homes, communities, and laws. Their evolving capacities, their potential, their resilience, their ability to learn, develop, change, and play-make them outstanding members of society, and in the eyes of our law. These same qualities also imbue them with colossal power in the news wherein many instances they are portrayed at their most vulnerable and most marginalised precisely to highlight the extreme nature of the story in which they feature.
Ethical dilemmas aside, the importance of children to our society and the violation of their rights and when they are on the wrong side of the law are critical news stories that need to be told. The challenge arises when the best interest of the child together with the special protections afforded in the law requires careful balancing acts to take place to ensure that critical news stories are told. But again, to ensure that children’s rights are respected. In this guide, we look at the latest developments and unpack critical issues relating to children, the media, and the law.
Therefore, all journalists must know scenarios and circumstances defining when a report or the story can reveal the identity of the child. They must also identify those instances that forbid the media from naming the child.
Over the past two decades, organisations like SANEF, UNICEF and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) have published and distributed reports and guidelines that have sought to assist the media in reporting on children, and ultimately to find the best nexus between children and the media.
These guidelines have determinedly emphasised the rights of children, in particular, the importance of the principle of the best interests of children. They have guided the media on best practices when interviewing children, ensuring that children’s voices are promoted and have explained various legal positions relevant to the reporting of children.
The report and guidelines also navigate complex issues including how to report on children in the context of HIV/AIDS;
media coverage of human trafficking and child protection; and unpacking racial and gender representation of children in the media. The common trend and take away from the various guidelines is that informed, sensitive, and professional journalism is key to the promotion and protection of children’s rights.
This report was prepared with the assistance of ALT Advisory.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial.
4.0 International License. This means that you are free to share and adapt this work so long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. Any such sharing or adaptation must be for non-commercial purposes, and must be made available under the same “share alike.”
terms. Full licence terms can be found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/byncsa/4.0/legalcode.
Stalwart Joe Thloloe (middle) with Sowetan journalist Penwell Dlamini and photographer Antonio Muchave
30 September 2020
On 24 September 2020 Sowetan published this article written by Penwell Dlamini which is an interview of stalwart Joe Thloloe and Chairman of Aggrey Klaaste Trust [AKT].
SA needs to protect press freedom now more than ever as there are still stubborn resemblances of what the country used to be in the past despite gains made in the democratic era.
This is the view of legendary journalist Dr Joe Thloloe which he shared with Sowetan as he reflected on the current state of the media and its role in nation-building.
Thloloe, who used his pen and notebook to fight the apartheid government, said real liberty is about the freedom of the press.
“Free media is the foundation of democracy. Democracy means that people have their say and they are not scared of saying what they believe and what they want… It is in that exchange of ideas that society flourishes. We need it today more than we’ve ever needed before,” Thloloe said.
He said the role of journalists is critical 26 years into democracy as some of the evils there during the apartheid era can still be seen in a free SA.
“When we got to 1994, we got into a very euphoric state where we thought, at last, we have achieved what we wanted to achieve. But when you look around in society, it is a very sad story. We have regressed rather than progressed.
Therefore, the things that we fought for, we still need to fight for even today.
“People are going to bed starving. Coronavirus has just made it a little worse … That fight for a true democracy continues.”
Thloloe is one of the high-profile speakers who will take part in a colloquium scheduled for October 19 which will discuss the state of the media in SA. The colloquium has been organised by Sowetan in partnership with the Aggrey Klaaste Trust and is supported by Arena Holdings, Wits University, and the SA National Editors Forum. The late Klaaste was the editor of Sowetan who championed the values of nation-building in the newspaper and society at large.
Thloloe said when Klaaste introduced the concept of nation-building some in the newsroom laughed at him as they felt what was needed was the demolition of an apartheid system before anything was built.
“Aggrey Klaaste had the foresight to see that we are going to need to build a nation and he made it the responsibility of each individual. [He taught that] each individual is responsible for building the nation,” he said.
Thloloe, who was arrested four times as a journalist by the apartheid government, said most of the problems faced by society today are a result of the lack of ethos of national building.
“Today ’s morality is ‘I come first. My pocket is the most important pocket’. We’ve forgotten the old saying which is umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu [a person survives because of other people]
“We’ve forgotten the old saying that you should do to others as you would have them do to you. We are now a very materialistic society and that is our tragedy,” he said.
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 in itself, as well as an enabler of the full range of fundamental rights.
However, on this International Day for Universal Access to Information, as we reflect on the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) after 20 years of enactment in South Africa, it is apparent that there is an urgent need to reform PAIA to make it useful and effective in the digital era.
As such, Media Monitoring Africa, the South African National Editor’s Forum (SANEF) and other like-minded 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.
In the digital era, it is imperative that the right of access to information be fostered, both on- and offline, in order 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 sum, the proposed amendments have been informed by the following five key principles:
Primacy: Access to information, as a constitutional imperative, should be treated with appropriate primacy over other laws that otherwise restrict or inhibit the public’s right to be informed. The proposed amendments seek to ensure that the scope and ambit of PAIA are appropriately clarified to assist requesters in obtaining the information to which they are entitled without unnecessary hurdles.
Maximum disclosure: The right of access to information should be guided by the principle of maximum disclosure, with the right only being limited by narrowly defined exemptions that meet the test for a reasonable and justifiable limitation in an open and democratic society.
Proactive disclosure: Information in the public interest should be proactively disclosed, even in the absence of a specific request, in recognition of the role that such information plays in the full realisation of fundamental rights.
International commitments: South Africa must abide by its international commitments on access to information, including in respect of open government and open data standards through the Open Government Partnership. These commitments evince a move towards more openness on a proactive basis and are deserving of being effectively fulfilled.
Online protections: In the current digital era, the exercise of the right of access to information must be respected, protected and promoted, both on- and offline. This places a duty on public and private sector actors to ensure that, in fulfilling their obligations, due regard is had to the medium and format in which information is made available.
Underlying these principles is a core concern about the efficacy of PAIA in meaningfully realising the right of access to information. In the 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. Moreover, the right of access to information fosters a vibrant media culture that plays a central role in receiving and imparting information and ideas. This is more important than ever and deserving of protection and support from all segments of society.
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 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.
This public announcement today on our efforts to reform and improve PAIA follows on 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.
The next step is to approach a wider group of PAIA users and experts to make sure that their concerns are captured in the draft amendments. The final step will be to hand the draft over to the Human Rights Commission, the Information Regulator and the Department of Justice for consideration and processing by the executive and parliament.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) would like to remind journalists that the deadline for applications to our Media Relief Fund is Wednesday 30 September 2020. We encourage all journalists who have lost their jobs and income as a direct result of the Covid-19 national disaster to submit their applications with all relevant and supporting documentation.
Working in conjunction with the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), we wish to report that in our first round, we received 320 applications and approved 227 journalists for payments. Journalists received a small donation of R5000 each to purchase necessities like food and clothing.
SANEF opened the second round for deserving journalists on 8 September calling on everyone to spread the word, especially to journalists who lost their jobs in the hard-hit community media sector including print and broadcasting.
In terms of the criteria we have called for the following people to apply:
Practising journalists who have not received retrenchment packages, freelance or contract journalists. People need to have been retrenched or had their contracts cancelled from the date of the implementation of the national lockdown on March 26th 2020 – or thereafter – as a result of COVID-19. Photographers, print, broadcast and multimedia journalists are all included.
SANEF wants to warmly thank its corporate, donor and individual partners on this project. We received our first donation to kick-start the fund from MTN South Africa. This was followed by funds from First Rand, Yellow Woods, Allan Gray, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Open Society Foundation and Old Mutual. We have also received donations from concerned individuals, including several journalists and ex-journalists who have been worried about the plight of their colleagues. We have raised an over little R3 million so far.
Further, we would like to thank our team of industry stalwarts who have made up our independent panel of adjudicators – including Mathatha Tsedu, Joe Thloloe, Wandile Fana and Melody Emmett as well as Anlo Financial Services. The panel has played a critical role in adjudicating all applications and Anlo has played an important role in the initial processing of all documentation.
We again remind everyone that the deadline is 30 September.
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.
As the country eagerly awaits Saturday’s first Rugby match at Loftus Versfeld and the normalisation of sports coverage, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is surprised to hear that the number of photographers has been limited.
The Blue Bulls Company has issued a letter stating that only two photographers will be permitted to shoot the upcoming match.
SANEF believes that hurdles to accreditation and unwelcome regulations should be removed so that the media including freelancers (both local and foreign) are not denied the opportunity to get back to work. Rugby authorities should note that the country has moved to lockdown level 1 as announced by the President. We thus appeal to SA Rugby to seriously consider opening up and enabling the sports media fraternity to resume working.
We believe that journalists should strictly adhere to the regulations of wearing masks, sanitising and ensuring physical distancing but with this, in place, we believe that sports grounds, particularly as big as Loftus Versfeld, should not pose a threat to spreading the Coronavirus.
The media has previously engaged other sports authorities, including Cricket SA that wanted to restrict access to only two photographers at their Solidarity match. However, after engaging with them on their social responsibility to help journalists to get back to work, the issues were resolved. We hope that the same will apply for the rugby fraternity.
Our proposal is that 5/6 major SA and 4 International agencies be allowed to send a representative to cover the matches inside the stadium with COVID19 physical distancing protocols in place.
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.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and community media mourn the death of veteran editor, Wikus Lee (64) of the Limpopo Mirror. Lee died after a long battle with a heart problem on Wednesday last week.
He was a seasoned journalist who mentored and interacted with various generations of young local reporters in the province. As editor of the Mirror he provided guidance and training to dozens of journalists. He was highly respected for his editorial knowledge and work ethic.
Anton van Zyl, owner and manager of the Limpopo Mirror, said it was almost impossible to think of the newspaper business in the region without Wikus’s wisdom and input.
“For more than 30 years he has been a colleague and a friend. For him, the newspaper was not simply a job, it was part of what made him what he was. His work was his passion and the Mirror newspaper was his pride. He was someone with an incredible general knowledge,” said Van Zyl.
Lee is survived by his wife and three sons.
SANEF sends heart-felt condolences to Lee’s family, friends and colleagues.
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.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorised as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always active
Necessary cookies are essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Analytics
Analytics cookies are used to track user behaviour on our website. We process these cookies to understand user engagement and improve user experience on our website.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
