The South African National Editors’ Forum, SANEF, has announced that round two of the Media Relief Fund is now open. SANEF calls on everyone to spread the word.
In terms of the criteria we call for the following people to apply:
Practising journalists who have not received retrenchment packages, freelance or contract journalists who have been retrenched or had their contracts cancelled from the date of implementation of the national lockdown on 26 March 2020 and thereafter as a result of Covid 19. Photographers, print, broadcast and multimedia journalists are all included.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) joins the Southern Africa Editors’ Forum (SAEF) and The African Editors Forum (TAEF) in welcoming the release, on bail, of Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono after being held for 44 days in pre-trial detention.
SANEF, SAEF and TAEF also join other African and global media and human rights organisations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in condemning the arrest of Chin’ono in the first place on 20 July 2020.
SANEF chairperson, Sbu Ngalwa says, “We welcome the release of Chin’ono but believe that this was an abusive move in the first place. All these spurious charges should be dropped against him with immediate effect. Further, we note the tremendous courage and resoluteness shown by Chin’ono upon his release from jail on Wednesday”.
SANEF, SAEF and TAEF stand in solidarity with our colleagues in Zimbabwe in condemning all injustices perpetrated against journalists in that country and the rest of Africa.
We firmly believe that the Zimbabwean government should allow journalists to do their work freely without fear and political hindrance. This especially as Zimbabwe has declared to Africa and the world that it is a democracy.
We wish to reiterate an earlier appeal made that current African Union (AU) Chairperson and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, intervene in this matter.
Since July 20, Chin’ono was remanded in prison and denied bail on charges of “inciting public violence” in terms of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. Police raided his home in Harare without a search warrant as required by law.
In the continued harassment of journalists, Zimbabwean police on July 30, raided and ransacked the home of online publisher ZimLive editor, Mduduzi Mathuthu in Bulawayo looking for “subversive material”.
We remain deeply concerned that 2020 has become a dark period for media freedom worldwide considering the increase in the number of journalists jailed in various countries since the beginning of lockdowns brought about by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
In Tanzania, we note with regret that President, John Magufuli recently signed new anti-media freedom regulations, wiping clean the gains made by the media in that country in the past four decades.
In Egypt, there was the increase of the sentence Al Jazeera journalist, Mahmoud Hussein is serving.
In Hong Kong, founder and publisher of Apple Daily Jimmy Lai was arrested, while in the Philippines, Editor Maria Ressa faces spurious charges.
SANEF, SAEF and TAEF stand in solidarity with the World Association of News Publishers, the World Editors’ Forum and CPJ in condemning all these abuses perpetrated against journalists.
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.
The Southern African Editors’ Forum (SAEF) organises editors and senior journalists across Southern Africa.
The African Editors’ Forum (TAEF) organises editors and senior journalists across Africa.
On Saturday,22nd August, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) honoured all journalists and media professionals with the 2020 Nat Nakasa Award in recognition of their service and commitment to their craft and to keeping South Africans informed while on the frontlines during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In celebration of the award and the brave work of our media, SANEF commissioned and aired a documentary special (view here) across leading news broadcasters and online news platforms.
Following the documentary, SANEF hosted a webinar on Wednesday, 26 August 2020, as a follow-on from the documentary to discuss the key issues raised in the film.
The webinar, “Media and journalism under threat: What can civil society and corporate SA do?” provided a platform for key individuals to debate and discuss the main challenges currently faced by our media, including: the severe threats to the media that existed before Covid-19 and how they have now been further exacerbated; the implications of a weak media sector for our democracy, as well as addressing the role of the media in our society; the need for corporate and private sector support; and the impact that the pandemic has had on an already weakened industry.
“The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has awarded its coveted Nat Nakasa Award to South Africa’s entire body of journalists.
The announcement was made on Saturday 22 August with the airing of a documentary commissioned to commemorate the vital role journalists play in our society – especially, in light of the harsh circumstances journalists as individuals find themselves in during the coronavirus pandemic.
The documentary, which was filmed in recent months while the country still remained under national lockdown regulations, aims to shine a light on the courageous work done by South African journalists on the frontlines in a time of great unease and continued stress due to the global pandemic.”
On Thursday 23 July the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and the South African Police Services (SAPS) management held a robust, frank and successful meeting on a wide range of issues, including the working relations between journalists and members of the police.
The SANEF delegation, led by Deputy Chair Katy Katapodis, met the SAPS delegation, led by National Police Commissioner General Khehla John Sitole. SANEF tabled concerns regarding the hindrance and harassment of journalists in courts around the country as well as the media’s experiences of harassment and injury by SAPS members while in the field covering the Coronavirus crisis.
In turn, SAPS tabled concerns regarding some members of the media obstructing police in their course of duty. Further, they outlined their new Online Policing Strategy to fight crime online. The details will be released at the later stage.
The meeting agreed that despite specific serious incidents, the relationship between journalists and the various units of the SAPS was primarily mutually cordial, reflecting the spirit of cooperation between the media and the SAPS. The meeting agreed that this showed that both journalists and police officers can do their jobs without confrontation and that it is possible for both parties to respect their various roles out in the field.
Further, the meeting decided to recommit to the Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed more than 10 years ago but is still relevant. It was agreed that this document needed to be updated and made relevant to the current times, before being signed by September.
To take this work further, the meeting agreed to establish a team with representatives from both SAPS and SANEF to unpack the Memorandum of Understanding. It will recommend a programme of action that includes training for journalists on crime scene etiquette and training for police officers on the critical role of the media in covering crime and protests.
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) condemns the threats made against a correspondent journalist working on a story for the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror.
The community newspapers in Limpopo have been investigating a story on the National Lotteries Commission’s funding of a non-profit organisation, Vyeboom Youth Development in the province.
According to Anton van Zyl, publisher of the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror, their correspondent received a threatening phone call on Thursday 23 July 2020 from a person telling him to stop enquiring about the activities at the project. He was told that if he did not stop, he would be followed and hurt.
Van Zyl said the correspondent had made enquiries requesting information about the non-profit which has received at least R15 million from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) in the past few years. He said the matter was reported to the local police and a case of intimidation is being investigated.
“We don’t take kindly to such threats to our journalists, and we view it as a direct attack on media freedom and the constitutional values that we hold dear. The only way we can effectively respond to such threats is to shine a light on what is happening and try and establish why people would want to hide the truth,” Van Zyl said.
SANEF believes it is inexcusable for individuals to threaten the journalist. We trust that the police will give this matter the urgency it deserves and identify the culprits.
Further, SANEF is disturbed by the reluctance of the National Lotteries Commission to release information about NPOs that it is funding despite the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ebrahim Patel’s clear statement in reply to a Parliamentary question last month that the NLC must make the list of non-profit organisations that it funds available.
For 18 years, the NLC has published these and other details on projects it funds as part of its annual reports. But last year it did an about-turn and excluded this information from its 2018-19 report.
SANEF and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) are proceeding with a court application which challenges the constitutionality of Regulation 8 of the Lotteries Act to ensure that it is either set aside in its entirety or amended to bring it in line with the Constitution. Regulation 8 limits the disclosure of information on grant applications and grants themselves. Regulation 8(3) renders any person who discloses and publishes such information guilty of a criminal offence. This prohibition extends even to situations in which the disclosure or publication of information would be in the public interest – for instance, in order to bring to light allegations of corruption or maladministration regarding the manner in which public funds are being spent.
Our legal counsel is of the view that the current wording of Regulation 8 is an unjustifiable limitation on the right to freedom of expression, and that journalists are at risk of facing future litigation or criminal complaints from the NLC. The broad aim of the legal challenge is to shield news publications and journalists, who may want to publish NLC grant information in future, from being subject to litigation or criminal complaints.
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.
In response to the current challenges facing the South African media industry, FirstRand is contributing half a million rand to assist journalists financially impacted by COVID-19, through the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) Media Relief Fund.
This forms part of the group’s wide-ranging COVID-19 relief measures and the R500 000 is made up of contributions from FirstRand and its operating businesses: FNB, RMB, WesBank and Ashburton Investments.
The group believes that the media has played a vital role in ensuring that the nation is kept up to date on key developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, through credible journalism and platforms. It has ensured that South African citizens have been reliably informed on the necessary measures to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
South Africa is fortunate to have a journalistic community with a long track record of holding all stakeholders of society to account. This is not a privilege that every nation enjoys, and it needs to be protected in these challenging times.
Mahlatse Mahlase, SANEF chairperson, says: “We are truly grateful to FirstRand for contributing to the fund and recognising the important role journalism plays in strengthening our democracy. The job losses in the industry are unprecedented and we are losing journalists at a time we need them the most. South Africans have turned to trusted news sources in the face of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. The contribution will go a long way in cushioning the blow.”
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is launching a relief fund for journalists who have lost their livelihoods as a direct result of the COVID-19 national disaster. The Social Justice Initiative (SJI) is acting as a fiscal host for the fund and will be playing an oversight role to ensure that all funds are fairly and transparently distributed.
Mahlatse Mahlase, SANEF’s chairperson says, “In making the announcement today, we want to express our warm gratitude to MTN SA for their contribution of R500 000 to start the fund and for their further commitment to lobby other corporates to contribute”.
To process the applications, SANEF has set up a team that includes media stalwarts Mathatha Tsedu and Joe Thloloe, Wandile Fana from the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) and Melody Emmett from the freelancers’ association (SAFREA). Anlo Financial Solutions, a financial services company will assist with processing.
Executive: Corporate Affairs at MTN South Africa, Jacqui O’Sullivan, says all South Africans owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the reporters and editors who have braved harsh conditions every day to provide invaluable information that is helping save lives.
“In MTN’s view, it is now imperative that the private sector steps in to offer financial assistance to ensure quality reporting standards can be maintained across digital, broadcast and print media platforms. To ensure communication channels remain open and the public gets the information it can trust, MTN is proud to partner with SANEF to begin offering financial support and aid through a targeted relief fund for journalists.”
However, she adds that this is just the first step and “far more” needs to be done, which is why MTN is encouraging all large corporates, companies in supply chains, clients and individuals who can, to step up and help by contributing to this fund.
The purpose of the funding is to assist those in dire need with a small donation to purchase necessities like food and clothing. Only freelance, contract or permanently employed journalists who have been retrenched or had their contracts cancelled since the implementation of the national lockdown on 26 March 2020, will be eligible to apply.
This announcement fulfils the promise we made to establish a fund – a promise we made when we launched our “COVID19 Impact on Journalism” Report in June 2020.
The report points to the devastation that COVID has wreaked on the industry – particularly the print media with the closure of two magazine publishers and 80 small print publications operating across the country, leading to the loss of over 700 journalist jobs. Also, the report pointed to the fact that freelancers had been particularly badly impacted and that 60% of their members had lost almost 70% of their income – and that some had lost 80% to 100%.
SANEF is keenly aware of the fact that many industries are experiencing tough times and that salary cuts and retrenchments have become an ever-present reality. But what is particularly worrying is that with the media industry plays a powerful, democracy-deepening role in society – this is in terms of ensuring a free flow of information in society to keep citizens informed and to hold the powerful to account, both in terms of government and the private sector. We are thus worried that the collapse of the media in small towns, and the shrinking of the industry as a whole, will have a devastating long-term effect on the health of our democracy.
This fund is, therefore, a small first step to assist the industry and thus ultimately to assist all citizens to get the information they need.
We want to again express our gratitude to all who have assisted SANEF to establish the fund. We are hoping that the first phase will allow us to offer emergency relief to journalists. However, if we find further funding, we hope to support other projects to assist the sustainability of small, independent media institutions across the country, through a variety of targeted interventions.
If you wish to contribute to the fund, kindly contact [email protected]and we will send you the details. Alternative arrangements are being made to enable individuals to quickly contribute on a safe, stable and reliable platform. We will announce this soon.
If you would like to donate to the SANEF Media Relief Fund, please click 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.
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