US AMBASSADOR to SA Donald Gips yesterday cautioned the country to carefully consider the implications of establishing a media appeals tribunal. Mr Gips becomes the latest high-profile figure to enter the debate on the mooted tribunal, aimed at regulating the media in SA. The debate was ignited by the ruling party's proposal that a media tribunal be established to monitor information published by media houses.
Mr Gips urged the government and the media to "reach common ground". He said: "I believe the challenge here is to balance that right of criticism with the need for media professionalism and standards for truthful and fair reporting. The media and government must come together to agree on specific and concrete standards for the management of sensitive information that also guarantee free speech and the right to dissent." Mr Gips was speaking at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg.
South African National Editors' Forum chairman Mondli Makhanya said yesterday that he was very encouraged by the interest the international community had taken "in this worrying development". "Those people driving these processes must realise that SA is not some small island in the Pacific and what happens in this country is being very closely watched by the world."
In a debate with media professionals on Tuesday night, African National Congress (ANC) spokesman Jackson Mthembu defended the party's right to raise the idea of a media appeals tribunal. Mr Mthembu said the tribunal will not serve as a punitive measure to put journalists behind bars. He claimed it aims to hold media houses accountable for publishing defamatory stories without sufficient evidence.
In response, City Press editor Ferial Haffajee contended that the proposed tribunal is a red herring to intimidate journalists and stop them publishing embarrassing stories on government corruption. The ANC is on a countrywide drive to garner support from its members and the wider public to realise the tribunal as a legal, enforceable regulatory body. At this stage, it is still a discussion document ahead of the organisation's national general council, expected to take place next month.
This week, SA's business community also labelled the document another attempt to muzzle the media. Business Leadership SA - an influential body representing major businesses in the country - rejected the notion of a government- controlled media tribunal. International media associations have also added their voices to the mounting concern. US-based body the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday wrote a letter to President Jacob Zuma urging him to use his influence as head of state to prevent the establishment of the tribunal in its present form.
Source: All Africa
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