|
Journalism in the interest of the public The media strive to hold these rights (as described in Section 16 of the Bill of Rights) in trust for the country’s citizens, and they are subject to the same rights and duties as the individual. Everyone has the duty to defend and further these rights, in recognition of the struggles that created them: the media, the public and the government, who all make up the democratic state. The media’s work is guided at all times by the public interest, understood to describe information of legitimate interest or importance to citizens…[1]  Investigative news and local democracy reporting are generally regarded as ‘public interest journalism’, but is it always the case? It is my experience that stating in a news report that a case was investigated, without providing clear evidence, cannot be automatically regarded as public interest. Journalism plays a critical role in promoting a healthy society. In essence, journalism should provide news consumers with trusted and fact-based information while remaining independent. In the interest of the public does not mean issues or topics that the public would find interesting. It refers to matters that affect the public’s health, livelihoods, quality of life, and governance. In effect, it means the ‘common good’ and ‘societal relevance’ of the broader public and does not include what might fascinate or entertain them. Journalism plays a central role (as a watchdog) in a democracy where the public interest is in having a safe, healthy and functional society. Investigative news reporting often challenges the powerful and stands up for the powerless, but the coverage must adhere to the basic principles of fairness, accuracy, truthfulness, accountability, independence, and humanity. The accused must also be given the right to reply. The key in the quotation at the beginning of the article is the word ‘trust’. And there is no doubt that the spread of false news has escalated, advancing hidden agendas and generating significant advertising revenues in the process. This resulted in a general loss of trust in mainstream media. The media should not be seen as becoming involved in a smear campaign with a personal agenda or family fall-outs. The media should not intrude into people’s private lives without being shown and seen to be in the wider public interest. The valuable website, www.mediahelpingmedia.org gives some justifications for public interest justifications where the published story:
 THE CASE OF NEWS24/KWASIZABANTU REPORTAGE The unfounded allegation against the KwaSizabantu Mission in the News24 reportage is that the Mission is a cult, more particularly that its teachings are not scriptural and in line with the Apostles’ Creed. Another false allegation is that it used nefarious means to compel people to stay at the Mission against their free will and that they were then abused. Following an extensive onslaught by News24, the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) started investigating the allegations in November 2020. On 13 July 2023, the Commission released its findings and found that in terms of the church’s doctrines and cults’ practices, “the teachings, principles, rules, (doctrines) of the Mission are within the scope of freedom of religion.” The chairperson, Prof Mosoma, also said during the press conference on 13 July 2023 when the findings were released, that KwaSizabantu displays no qualities of a cult and that the media abused the word ‘cult’. If a Christian organisation is a cult and it is proven to be a cult, it would definitely be in the interest of the broader public if it is published to warn them. However, the media onslaught against KwaSizabantu was based on a smear campaign for personal gain, driven by opportunistic family members and disgruntled former workers. There are countless evidence of that. An interesting part of the News24 EXODUS campaign was that it was driven by the editor-in-chief, Adriaan Basson, who called on the public to boycott the aQuellé bottled water brand. He asked the public: “Want to stop a cult? Then Don’t buy aQuellé bottled water.[1] The water is bottled on the Mission and proceeds are used to run the ministry and mission, to execute the humanitarian work over a broad spectrum and to reach out to the community in various ways. News24’s fierce campaign escalated with dire consequences to the remote community whose livelihoods depend on the Mission for work, and support. The aQuellé brand, as well as other produce from the Mission, was immediately removed from the shelves of various retailers with dire financial and other consequences to the Mission and its community. At first glance, this request to boycott the aQuellé water seemed like an invitation to hate and to financially harm the Mission. Could that be seen in any way as to the benefit of the broader public?  Another question that could be asked is: Was it a personal request by Adriaan Basson, or was it representative of News24 in his capacity as editor-in-chief? Basson appealed to the public in his name but then gave substance to his request by mentioning the high position he holds at the country’s current biggest online news outlet. Why would the big news outlet support a personal vendetta and what seems to be an agenda of the editor-in-chief? How can they benefit from that?
The most important question to ask is: “Taking into account the consequences of the disinformation, was it in the interest of the broader public or the public whose livelihoods were affected by the EXODUS campaign? In this case, only the agenda of the conspirators was pushed and it cannot be seen as being in the interest of the broader public. The evidence was not sufficient to justify putting the economic survival of thousands of rural families at risk. More importantly, Basson’s request for a boycott and his subsequent media attacks on KwaSizabantu damned the religious beliefs of thousands of people who have been attending the church services at the Mission for over 53 years. In short, the News24 EXODUS campaign was not in the interest of the general public but was based on an agenda for personal gain. (Read more: A Journey to the Truth: The Case of KwaSizabantu Mission, by Gerda Potgieter. Available on Amazon) Written by: Gerda Potgieter hmsscj@frontline.org.za 021 689 4400
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
RSS Feed