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SANEF Media Relief Fund Calls for Applications for the Fifth Round

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Unemployed journalists across South Africa continue to face financial constraints as the media fraternity continue to deal with challenges such as jobs losses and titles’ closures.

It’s for this reason, among others, that the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) yet again invites journalists that remain unemployed to apply to our Media Relief Fund, started last years as the impact of Covid-19 was being felt across the journalism profession, not only here at home, but globally.
We encourage all journalists who lost their jobs and income as a direct result of the Covid-19 national disaster whose organisations shut down or scaled back and or drastically reduced their income to submit their applications with all relevant and supporting documentation as soon as possible to be considered for the fifth round of the Media Relief Fund. Unfortunately, this would be the last round of applications.
Working in conjunction with the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), we wish to report that the Media Relief Fund’s previous four rounds of disbursements of relief resources saw over 400 affected journalists benefiting from the R1,714,965.00 that has been disbursed.

Background
Since the call was made last year for assistance towards financially constrained journalists, we saw positive responses of donations from corporates, donors, and individual partners. These included several journalists and ex-journalists who have been worried about the plight of their colleagues. Collectively, we have raised a total of R4 870 067. We received our first donation to kick-start the fund from MTN SA. This was followed by funds from FNB Accounts (First Rand), Yellowwoods NPC, Allan Gray (Pty) Ltd, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Development Trust, OSF – SA, Standard Bank, and Old Mutual.
In terms of the criteria, we have called for the following people to apply: Struggling journalists especially those from community media platforms around the country, 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, Magazines, Community print, broadcast and multimedia journalists are all included.
Please see a link to the application form here.

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, Melody Emmett and the late Wandile Fana 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.

Please see the application form on this link SANEF Media Relief Fund Application form – Round Five Deadline

Please see the criteria on this link Criteria for round 5 applications for the media relief fund-16 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.

For more information please contact:

  • Mahlatse Mahlase – SANEF Chairperson, (083) 399-2852
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Deputy Chairperson, (082) 805-7022
  • Moipone Malefane – SANEF Secretary-General (082) 772-5861
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (073) 404-1415
  • Janet Heard – SANEF Western Cape Convenor (078) 041-9528
  • Hopewell Radebe – SANEF Gauteng Regional Convenor (083) 582-1734
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

 

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SANEF Hosts Successful AGM as It Reflects on Challenges, Successes, and the Road Ahead for Journalism

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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.

  1. Reporting the Pandemic

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. 

  1. Elections Training

 

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.

  1. Reporting the Courts 

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:

  •       Appointment of a steering committee of SANEF members, stakeholders and media owners to drive sustainable journalism initiatives and engagements
  •       Commissioning of follow-up research on the nature, scope, and operations of a news media sustainability fund; sources of income for such a fund; and related issues including the co-existence of news media and tech platforms in the digital economy and interactions in this regard with the Competition Commission – a proposal from the authors of the original research report is currently under consideration
  •       Engagement with the International Fund for Public Interest Media on their proposal to use South Africa as a pilot project, and to explore collaborative initiatives in support of the global fund and the proposed SA fund
  •       Engagement with tech platform policy managers on the proposals in the report
  •       Further consultations on free or zero-rated access to online public interest news content, based on research done by for instance Research ICT Africa
  •       Media policy engagements with GCIS and the minister in the presidency on proposals regarding different forms of state support for public interest journalism; and to implement the commitments in the International Partnership on Information and Democracy, endorsed by SA

 

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:

  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
  • Adriaan Basson – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 562-2113
  • Mahlatse Mahlase – Secretary General (083) 399-2852
  • Nwabisa Makunga – Treasurer (082) 555-1972
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Asanda Ngoasheng – Western Cape Convenor – 082 610 9374
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (082) 805-7022
  • Chiara Carter – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (082) 659-9162
  • Reggy Moalusi – SANEF Executive Director – (071) 682-3695

 

SANEF Appoints Reggy Moalusi as Its New Executive Director

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Reggy Moalusi
New SANEF executive director, Reggy Moalusi

 

The Management Committee of the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is pleased to announce the appointment of former editor, Reggy Moalusi, as our new Executive Director.

Mr Moalusi is an experienced journalist and communicator, and former editor of the Daily Sun who is taking over from Dr Kate Skinner who left SANEF at the end of March this year.

SANEF takes the opportunity to thank Dr Skinner for her hard work and service and wishes her well in her future journey.

SANEF chairperson Sbu Ngalwa has described Moalusi as a respected journalist who is passionate about media freedom.

“We’re glad to have Reggy on board as he will not only bring in his skills as a journalist, but he is also quite familiar with SANEF and its priorities – having previously served as SANEF’s secretary general.

“In his new role he will oversee the day-to-day administration of the organisation and drive our fundraising efforts and our programmes going forward”.

“Crucially he comes into the role at a time when SANEF is driving the debate on the sustainability of the media in South Africa as we continue to look for solutions to ensure the future of independent journalism. I have no doubt that Reggy will make valuable contributions to these efforts,” said Ngalwa.

Mr Moalusi said he felt honoured to be joining SANEF at this critical moment in the history of journalism and the industry as a whole.

“The industry is facing serious challenges that worsened last year with the outbreak of COVID-19 which has severely impacted journalists, especially those in the community media sector,” he said.

“As the remaining credible advocacy group standing for media freedom, we are working with all stakeholders to find new models for media sustainability not just in the country but also the Southern Africa region and the continent,” said Moalusi.

Mr Moalusi has a long history within SANEF having previously served as Gauteng Convenor and as the secretary-general. He holds a BA Honours: Journalism and Media Studies from Wits University.

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.

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Rebuilding Trust Between Journalists and the Public

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By Georgina Crouth

Ethical lapses, media sustainability, bullying, mental health support, training and rebuilding trust between journalists and the public were key talking points at the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) conference on media ethics on 15 May.

SANEF conference on media ethics was held in response to the Satchwell Inquiry, a report of the investigation into media credibility and ethics written by retired judge Kathleen Satchwell and panel members Rich Mkhondo and Nikiwe Bikitsha, both journalists.

SANEF has held four webinars in recent months to look into the issues raised by the 300-page report.

The Satchwell Inquiry was commissioned by Sanef in June 2019 in response to a series of high-profile stories published and then retracted by the Sunday Times between 2011 and 2016. It was released in January 2021.

The report noted trends in the sector that had contributed towards the erosion of public trust, the decline of editorial independence – including the encroachment of media owners – and shrinking newsrooms linked to large-scale retrenchments.

Forum chairperson Sbu Ngalwa said Sanef hoped to use the report not only to guide its interactions with the government, corporate funders and civil society but also to steer its thinking around the support of journalism as a public good and a key pillar of democracy.

Sbu Ngalwa, Newzroom Afrika’s politics editor, explained: “In January, when the Satchwell Inquiry report was released, Sanef issued a statement saying while the media had been lauded for investigative work that had helped our democracy, we believe the media must continue to [be introspective] to strengthen the relationship of trust with the public.

“We said we would rigorously debate the report’s 69 recommendations to assess how they could be implemented in the advancement of ethical journalism.”

Since the start of the pandemic, the sector has lost not only colleagues but also more than 1,000 jobs. However, Ngalwa said, there were some green shoots: audiences returned to traditional media as they looked for trusted news sources; and digital audience figures improved dramatically, with some news sites seeing a rise of 72% in traffic in March 2020 alone.

While the media continued to be under attack from detractors and targeted by disinformation campaigns, the biggest threats to the industry were not just bullying by politicians, criminals or a hostile police force, it was the sustainability of the media, he said.

Keynote speaker and prominent jurist Judge Bernard Ngoepe called on the media to work towards “a perfect society”.

“When journalists say ‘I can do it because the law and the Press Code allow it’, that’s the wrong attitude. It shifts away from a fundamental objective for journalism – to try to build a perfect society.

“It may be impossible to attain but we have to accept that it’s a perpetual pursuit. There are positive dynamics that are achieved in the pursuit of a perfect society where there is freedom, democracy, elections and equality.”

Ngoepe warned that journalists should not report in ways that would compromise investigations or divulge information for a scoop that could prejudice investigations.

“Say to yourself – would this be a good thing and make a positive contribution towards society?” Having a fixed, determinable moral compass should guide journalists to the right decisions. “Your ethics – not just the law and code – must drive you to achieve your objectives,” Ngoepe said.

Songezo Zibi, a former editor of Business Day who left the media in 2015 over ethical concerns, was candid about his experiences.

Describing democracy as a system of self-rule that relied heavily on those who had  “sacred duties” that were essential for its preservation, Zibi said journalism was an indispensable pillar of democracy because it provided a channel for elected representatives and other public officials to communicate truthfully so that the people always knew what was being done in their name.

It also provided a platform for ordinary people to share views and expose what their needs were, he said.

Journalism, though, played another role: to “deliberately and doggedly shine a light on the dark corners where the truth that is in the public interest may lay hidden”. But since journalists were unelected, their credibility was drawn from assumed integrity – that they would always present an accurate, complete version of events and the facts.

“This is an extremely powerful position for unelected tradesmen and women to occupy in a society,” Zibi said. “They can influence political events and the course of history whether what they write is accurate or not. As a result of this power, it is important for journalists and editors to remain humble and committed to truth out of respect for the public and its welfare.”

There were many instances where journalists had been careless, arrogant and untruthful. And, when their mistakes were pointed out, they doubled down. This, he cautioned, was not a good thing.

A number of factors were to blame, Zibi said, starting with unconscious arrogance, which alienated the public from journalists because they fought for the freedom of the press and not for the right of the public to know what was being done in their name.

“This humble formulation is important because it places democracy, our system of self-government, at the centre of the problem and the purpose of journalism, not journalists, for seemingly narrow and self-interested reasons. Journalists do not do the work they do for their own edification but in service of the people and open democracy.”

Tolerating rogue journalists (and media owners) who failed to apply the appropriate standards of conduct and commitment to truth was another blight on the sector.

These were journalists and editors who were comfortable with providing insufficient, or even inaccurate context, making material omissions or deliberately failing to give respondents sufficient time to respond.

“It still happens that media relations professionals get emailed questions on a Saturday to respond to within a few hours … I cannot think of any reason why this would happen except ensuring that the subject of the story has insufficient time to respond meaningfully.”

Journalists also had inherent biases, which resulted in a failure to scrutinise everyone equally – from Treasury to private corporations.

Other little “missteps and habits” may seem benign, Zibi said, but they were insidiously harmful, such as the terms of endearment journalists had for politicians, referring to the secretary-general of the ANC as “SG” or Julius Malema as “CiC” or “commander-in-chief”.

The problems, though, are not entirely journalists’ making: in South Africa, media owners use their platforms to drive their own agendas and peddle lies, while politicians bully journalists for anti-democratic purposes.

Journalists compete with billions of voices on the internet, but many seem to believe they have some special right to exist. But they don’t, said Alan Rusbridger, a former editor of The Guardian. “The only way to justify our right to exist is to be better than the internet – and that means quality.”

The public is smart – if they can see journalists are doing stories that matter to them, if they can see the courage it takes and that journalists are working towards the highest ethical standards, they will support them.

“A lot of journalists don’t want to enter into conversations; they despise that whole aspect of social media,” Rusbridger said. But social media had brought about a revolution in the way journalists communicated and the way audiences respond.

“They’re not respectful and they’re rude and challenging. The first reaction of journalists is to switch off. ‘Our readers are horrible, we don’t want to engage with them, social media is a cesspit.’ We need to engage.”

Being a journalist was no easy job – the pay was poor, resources were scarce and the work was dangerous, acknowledged Zibi. But it was also a calling and a sacred duty.

“Let us continue to respect it and treat it with the reverence it deserves, for to do so is to honour the blood and tears of those who fought for this system of self-government we ought to protect with all we have.”

#This Article was published in the Daily Maverick

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SANEF Action Plan for Sustainable Media

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The South African National Editors’ Forum should lobby for the establishment of a Media Sustainability Fund, an annual barometer of media ethics and ongoing mental health support for journalists.

These were among the top activities identified at a ground-breaking SANEF Media Ethics and Credibility Conference held today (Saturday, May 15, 2021) which was attended by well over 100 media stakeholders. The conference will inform the strategic path for SANEF’s five-year action plan.

The conference is the culmination of a journey that started in 2019 when the organisation commissioned an independent inquiry into media credibility and ethics with a panel led by retired Judge Kathy Satchwell and panel members author and veteran journalist Rich Mkhondo and award-winning journalist Nikiwe Bikitsha.

Since the release of the Satchwell Report in January this year, SANEF has hosted a series of public webinars to discuss the panel’s recommendations. The results of these discussions were presented at today’s conference and key activities identified to finalise an inclusive five-year action plan that will reflect more accountable and ethical reporting.

SANEF also launched a report on policy options for media sustainability, as part of its response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 regulations on media houses. The report facilitates ongoing support to promote citizen access to news services in the digital age.

When SANEF also launched the fund to support journalists who have lost their jobs, it committed to this.

The report, titled “Media Sustainability and Universal Access to Public Interest Journalism”, captures the emerging international consensus on the need to support journalism as a public good. The sustainability policy proposal includes:

  • The establishment of a Media Sustainability Fund to support the development, sustainability and independence of public interest journalism and strengthen ethical practices in the media. It is envisaged that such a fund would support a media ecosystem in which all types of media will thrive, by strengthening regulatory bodies, encouraging innovation and training, and backing public interest reporting projects and local content production.
  • Universal access to news media via zero-rated public interest news websites
  • A commitment to running mental health workshops for journalists; and to develop strategies to counter cyberbullying.
  • Measures to ensure sustainable co-existence and fair competition between news media and tech platforms in the digital economy.
  • Tax relief, subsidies and other state support for media sustainability
  • Alternative income-generating models for news media
  • Public interest news wires and community media content sharing arrangements
  • Training and media & information literacy programmes

The report will be used to guide interactions with government, corporate South Africa, funders and civil society on ways to support journalism as a public good and as a key pillar of the South African democratic system.

Guest speakers all challenged the media fraternity to work towards ethical journalism that serves the public interest.

Keynote Speaker Judge Bernard Ngoepe called on the media to work towards a “perfect society”.

“Patriotism to society – not to the government or political parties – was key to the practice of journalism,” said Judge Ngoepe.

“It is not enough to think it is acceptable to print just because the law or the code does not prevent it. Journalists should be guided too by whether it makes a positive contribution to society,” he said.

Former Business Day editor Songezo Zibi noted that independent and trusted news media was essential: “Journalism is an indispensable pillar of democracy because it provides a channel for the elected representatives of the people and other public officials to communicate truthfully with the public so that the people always know what is being done in their name”.

“On the flip side, it provides a platform for ordinary people to share views with one another, and to lay bare for all, including the people they have elected, to see what their needs are,” Zibi said.

He noted that the credibility of journalism was drawn from their integrity and it is important for journalists and editors to remain humble and committed to truth out of respect for the public and its welfare.

“Journalists do not always remember this sacred duty. They can be careless, arrogant and untruthful. When their mistakes are pointed out, they can double down and, as the saying goes: “stand by their story.” This is not a good thing, and although not pervasive, we still see it too often for comfort,” he chastised.

Zibi called on journalists to protect their credibility: “Credibility is everything. That credibility must be continuously earned because of consistent ethical application of the craft itself”.

“I know better than most that it is hard being a journalist. The pay is poor, resources scarce and the work is dangerous. However, it is also a calling and a sacred duty. Let us continue to respect it and treat it with the reverence it deserves, for to do so, is to honour the blood and tears of those who fought for this system of self-government we ought to protect with all we have,” Zibi said.

Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, in conversation with SANEF secretary-general Mahlatse Mahlase said it was self-evident that we wanted quality journalism. “We need to be better than the internet,” he described.

Rusbridger responded to various questions from the audience including the commitment of the media to whistle-blowers. He asked the media to examine whether they had done enough to protect whistle-blowers, whether they have adequate systems in place and whether journalists knew how to deal with the issues.

SANEF will review all the inputs ahead of finalising an action plan to build ethical and sustainable media.

Ends/

Songezo Zibi’s full speech: https://sanef.org.za/sanef-ethics-and-credibility-conference-songezo-zibis-speech/

SANEF’s Sustainability Report: https://sanef.org.za/media-sustainability-and-universal-access-to-public-interest-journalism/

You can find the webinar series here.

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:

  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
  • Adriaan Basson – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 562-2113
  • Mahlatse Mahlase – Secretary General (083) 399-2852
  • Nwabisa Makunga – Treasurer (082) 555-1972
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Asanda Ngoasheng – Western Cape Convenor – 082 610 9374
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (082) 805-7022
  • Chiara Carter – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (082) 659-9162

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: SANEF

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Invitation: SANEF Media Relief Fund Round Four Application Open

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is launching the fourth round of its Media Relief Fund – started to assist journalists who have lost their jobs and/or their income as a direct result of the Covid-19 national disaster declared in March 2020.

Journalists who previously benefitted from the fund but whose’ circumstances have not changed or have since worsened can also apply and will be eligible in this latest round.

Affected journalists are encouraged to submit their applications with all relevant and supporting documentation from today to be considered by the fund.

Working in conjunction with the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), we wish to report that in our first and 2nd rounds; we received 700 applications and approved 249 journalists for payments.

Round three saw a total of 47 applicants being approved. Each successful applicant receives R5000 to help them buy basic essentials and data.

So far SANEF has paid out a total of R1,480,000.

In terms of the criteria, we have called for the following people to apply: Struggling journalists including those from community media platforms around the country, freelance or contract journalists. The journalists need to have been retrenched, received substantial salary cuts 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, Magazines, Community print, broadcast and multimedia journalists are all included.

Please see a link to the application form  Application Form – Round Four- Final   and herewith the link to the criteria  Criteria for Round 4 – updated 

SANEF wants to warmly thank all those who donated including corporates, donors and individual partners that have included several journalists and ex journalists who have been worried about the plight of their colleagues. Collectively we have raised a total of R4 870 067. We received our first donation to kick-start the fund from MTN South Africa. This was followed by funds from FNB Accounts (First Rand), Yellowwoods NPC, Allan Gray (Pty) Ltd, Arch Thabo Makgoba Development Trust, OSF – SA, Standard Bank, and Old Mutual.

Further, we would like to thank our independent panel of adjudicators – that includes  Mathatha Tsedu, Joe Thloloe, Wandile Fana and Melody Emmett as well as Anlo Financial Services. The panel continues to play a critical role in adjudicating all applications and Anlo has played an important role in the initial processing of all documentation.

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:

  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
  • Adriaan Basson – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 562-2113
  • Mahlatse Mahlase – Secretary-General (083) 399-2852
  • Nwabisa Makunga – Treasurer (082) 555-1972
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (082) 805-7022
  • Chiara Carter – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (082) 659-9162

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: SANEF

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Rebuilding for Sustainable & Ethical Journalism

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Pule Molebeledi, MD News and Media Arena Holdings

By Pule Molebeledi

Colleagues, we meet today amid the persistent and powerful winds of public opinion ravaging our newsrooms, pummelling us into unchartered territories and blowing us into acrimonious and embarrassing finger-pointing charades as seen on the Twitter streets recently.

There seems to be a wedge developing between and among our tradesmen and tradeswomen and also with some of our customers. It is a regrettable development that unfortunately undermines the fragile public confidence in our profession.

Journalism does not belong to the media proprietors, shareholders or media managers – it is a public good – even though it has commercial undertones. Our customers deserve better from us. They are bound to us by that novel word – credibility – we dare not lose this!

Some of the people who walked before us such as Nat Nakasa, Aggrey Klaaste, Zwelakhe Sisulu and Allister Sparks, understood that journalism is essential to the health of our democracy through exposing wrongdoing, reflecting the state of our society, and facilitating conversations on the burning issues of the day.

Public interest is at the heart of ethical journalism. It stands to reason that ethical journalism is the only kind of journalism that can ever be in the public interest. So, what is ethical journalism? There are some easy answers and some that lead to more questions.

At the starting blocks, journalists must have the interests of the readers and the citizenry at heart. Journalists must not be gullible and should strongly resist influence from commercial, financial or even political interests. They must strive to be impartial – no matter the provocation or agitation.

Next, practising the basics of good journalism will develop our ethical muscles and save us from many lapses: don’t make up your mind until you have heard all sides of the story, make fulsome and sincere efforts to get all sides of the story, speak to multiple sources, get documentary or other evidence whenever it is appropriate, probe the motives of your sources, provide context wherever possible, be accurate, be fair.

But even this is not always enough. If there is one thing that the past decade has taught us, it is to be more sceptical about the motives of the people who leak stories to us, particularly when they involve people in power or people standing in the way of abuse of power.

An easy narrative is one where there are good guys and bad guys. But the fact is that we are all flawed, and so are the people we write about. We need to spend more time investigating motives and unravelling the relationships and histories of the people we write about before we publish.

We will never have the full picture and never have all the facts. We should therefore be humble about how authoritatively we state facts. We should be more transparent with our readers about how we reach conclusions and state when there are gaps in our knowledge.

Even when we think we know the story we must remain open to information that could change the narrative or shed new light of information already in the public domain.

Human relationships can be tricky, and none of us is so unscrupulous as to cultivate sources without also forming an authentic connection with those people. Nonetheless, journalists must be able to negotiate their relationships with their contacts and sources without losing sight of what the relationship is.

These relationships are transactional in the sense that they are about information and controlling the narrative. There is always the possibility of manipulation. We have to resist the temptation to be flattered into thinking that powerful or influential people are our friends.

Sometimes we get stories that are true and in the public interest – and are still only leaked in order to weaken someone or to lead attention away from some other malfeasance. We must be alert to these manipulations. Not to say we shouldn’t report them, but we must understand why the story is being leaked, and why we want to publish it. And if possible, we should explain this to our readers too.

One of the gravest errors of our recent past was to become attached to a narrative and then stick stubbornly to it even when the cracks started showing. Another was to publish before the story was ready.

The practice of ethical journalism is not only a question for the individual journalist. The organisational culture needs to encourage, nurture and support journalists to be courageous. It ​needs to not only tolerate but also encourage journalists to stand their ground with their managers if their stories are edited to make them take a stronger line than the facts can sustain.

At an organisational level, the practice of ethical journalism also encompasses the stories we chose to write about and the ones we don’t.

# Molebeledi delivered this edited speech at the SANEF Fundraising Breakfast on 4th December 2020 on behalf of Arena Holdings, who are the new publishers of the Sunday Times, Financial Mail, Business Day, Sowetan, The Herald and Vrye Weekblad among others.

# The keynote address was delivered by Eskom CEO on “Restructuring Eskom beyond the energy crisis”.  Please watch his speech here 

For more information please contact:

  • Mahlatse Mahlase – SANEF Chairperson, (083) 399-2852
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Deputy Chairperson, (082) 805-7022
  • Moipone Malefane – SANEF Secretary-General (082) 772-5861
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (073) 404-1415
  • Janet Heard – SANEF Western Cape Convenor (078) 041-9528
  • Hopewell Radebe – SANEF Gauteng Regional Convenor (083) 582-1734
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

 

Sustainability & Media Relief Fund Site Wide Image

Invitation to Apply to SANEF’s Relief Fund – 3rd Round

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) would like to invite journalists struggling as a result of the Covid crisis to apply for the third round of the Media Relief Fund. We encourage all freelancers, contract journalists, reporters, photographers and production staff in multimedia, print and broadcast who have lost their jobs and income to submit their applications with all relevant and supporting documentation.

This third round is open to those who also received funding in the first and second round but still find themselves jobless.

Please see a link to the application form here

Working in conjunction with the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), we wish to report that in our first and 2nd rounds we received 700 applications and approved 249 journalists for payments. Journalists received a small donation of R5000 each to purchase necessities like food, clothing and airtime. So far SANEF has paid a total of R1,245,000.

SANEF is 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.

SANEF wants to warmly thank all those who donated including its corporates, donors and individual partners. Collectively we have raised a total of R4 870 067. We received our first donation to kick-start the fund from MTN South Africa. This was followed by funds from FNB Accounts (First Rand), Yellowwoods NPC, Allan Gray (Pty) Ltd, Arch Thabo Makgoba Development Trust, OSF – SA, Standard Bank, and Old Mutual. We have also received donations from concerned individuals, including several journalists and ex-journalists who have been very worried about the plight of their colleagues.

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.

Please note the deadline is 8 January 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.

For more information please contact:

  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
  • Adriaan Basson – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 562-2113
  • Mahlatse Mahlase – Secretary General (083) 399-2852
  • Nwabisa Makunga – Treasurer (082) 555-1972
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Asanda Ngoasheng – Western Cape Convenor – 082 610 9374
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (082) 805-7022
  • Chiara Carter – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (082) 659-9162
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

 

Sustainability & Media Relief Fund Site Wide Image

SANEF Proposes Independent Mediation for SABC News Impasse

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) held cordial meetings on Thursday (19 November 2020) and Friday (20 November 2020) with SABC editors and executives respectively to find a way forward in the current impasse facing the public broadcaster.

SANEF notes that the SABC board announced late on Thursday night that it was suspending the restructuring process by seven days to allow for further consultation.

News reports have indicated that media unions are going ahead with strike action that threatens a blackout of broadcast and digital services at the public broadcaster.

SANEF has proposed a mediated process to both management and editors to try and resolve the impasse, as the instability in the news division at the public broadcaster threatens its ability to deliver on its expansive, but sadly unfunded public mandate.

The SABC delivers news in all 11 official languages across the country and two San languages, Khwedam and !Xuntali, and it is the only institution with regional offices, ensuring that rural and marginalised communities are given a voice. In parts of our country, it remains the only source of information for communities. It, therefore, remains central to South Africa’s ability to ensure thriving participatory democracy.

It was clear to SANEF that none of the parties dispute the critical need for the SABC to restructure and cut costs. A bloated, top-heavy structure is the unfortunate consequence of years of mismanagement, including the payment of above-inflation and irregular increases and bonuses. All parties agree that for the SABC to be saved, costs must be cut.

In our meeting with editors on Thursday, they indicated that they remain committed to the restructuring of the SABC to ensure its sustainability and ability to continue to deliver on its constitutional mandate.

But they expressed frustration that there was not sufficient consultation on the proposed structure and indicated that there were gaps in the structure presented that could impede operations directly linked to delivering on its public service responsibilities.

The SABC executive, led by Group CEO Madoda Mxakwe, explained that Treasury conditions on the bail-out it received included reducing its salary bill, which currently represents more than half its revenue and 43% of its expenditure. In the news division alone, 93% of the budget is spent on salaries.

Management also warned that should the turnaround strategy not be implemented, the SABC will run out of money by April. SANEF is of the view that urgent action must be taken to avoid this situation, that will be to the detriment of millions of South Africans.

The SABC executive reiterated its commitment to continue to deliver on the SABC’s constitutional mandate despite the lack of funding from the shareholder.

SANEF believes a mediated process between the newsroom and the management team will allow for the management team to share with the editorial staff the vision for the SABC and explain the difficult choices it had to make as part of safeguarding the sustainability of the SABC.

The editorial team will be able to share with management its proposals on ensuring that while the inevitable restructuring process is carried out, there are no gaps that threaten operations.

FUNDING THE PUBLIC MANDATE

SANEF is however concerned that the SABC’s critical public mandate has never been funded sufficiently by the government despite promises over the years to do so.

Instead, there has been a reversal of support to the SABC.

For example, the SABC was not given extra funding to cover the 2019 national and provincial elections. The public broadcaster played a critical role in giving voice to ordinary South Africans and gave the opportunity for political parties to share their manifestos with the public.

The SABC plays a critical role in informing and educating the public on pandemics like Covid-19, especially in a climate where audiences turn to credible media outlets for factual news.

In the week after the National State of Disaster was declared, the average audience for IsiZulu language TV news on SABC increased by 40% and IsiXhosa news audience rose by 60%.

The pandemic has had a disastrous impact on the finances of all media companies, including the SABC, again highlighting the need for proper government funding of the public broadcaster.

Government and political parties cannot speak about the importance of the SABC but fail to provide it with the necessary financial support to execute that mandate.

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:

  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
  • Adriaan Basson – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 562-2113
  • Mahlatse Mahlase – Secretary General (083) 399-2852
  • Nwabisa Makunga – Treasurer (082) 555-1972
  • Asanda Ngoasheng – Western Cape Convenor – 082 610 9374
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (082) 805-7022
  • Chiara Carter – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (082) 659-9162
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

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Email: [email protected]

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