Editors Admit To Wrong Reporting On Zuma and Government
These are the words of Citizen Newspaper editor, Steven Motale, during the State of Media that was broadcasted live on SABC today. Motale's admission came after shocking revelations by some media representatives about a campaign aimed at attacking President Zuma and the ANC.
Questions were asked as to why has media ignored court rulings that cleared president Zuma from all charges. It also emerged that newspapers have adopted adversary approach against anyone who supports and vote for the ANC.
Mr Hlaudi Motsoeneng who is the CEO of SABC expressed his concerns about how journalists are directed to take positions that compromise journalism profession. He claimed that he journalists have forgotten about their important role of informing the public about what is happening in South Africa.
Steven Grootes who is the senior political editor for 702 also shocked everyone when he made a u-turn by stating that he does not think that President Zuma is to blame for corruption.
The New Age editor, Moegsien Williams threw his weight behind other media practitioners who admitted that there is evidence of wrongdoing by media.
"We in the media have kind of put ourselves in the position of the opposition, and that is unfortunate." he admitted.
The discussion was attended by media practitioners who all seemed to agree that readers are not happy about media's biased reporting. They were concerned that sales continue to declined and many media houses are close to filling for bankruptcy.
By Scelo Mncwango
By Scelo Mncwango