The SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) says it will urgently seek a meeting with the leadership of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), following its leader Julius Malema’s comments outside the state capture commission of inquiry in Parktown, Johannesburg.
During his address to EFF supporters, Malema accused some journalists of protecting Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.
He also likened the media to the apartheid government’s “Stratcom” disinformation campaign, and called media house Tiso Blackstar “hypocrites”.
Sanef has held its last council meeting for the year in Johanneburg. SANEF chairperson Mahlatse Mahlase says since Malema’s comments some of the journalists have been physically accosted as well as abused on social media.
“We’ve had reports from our members and also reporters that some of them have been harassed on especially twitter, social media. And also one of the editors was also accosted in public space. And it was all based on the comments the leader of the EFF had made.”
In case there’s still a belief there’s no consequences from what happened this week, I was just accosted by three men in a shop who were shouting my surname and mocking me. Now that I’m going through it, I really wish there had been more support for Suna Venter.
— Ranjeni Munusamy (@RanjeniM) November 23, 2018
Sanef, has urged Malema to use the proper channels – like the BCCSA – if he feels his party is being treated unfairly by the media.
Malema has accused the media of double standards in its treatment of the EFF versus Gordhan and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
SANEF has held its last council meeting for the year in Johannesburg.
“If the EFF is unhappy with stories that have been written about it as a party or stories written about their leaders, they have recourse. And that recourse is the Press Council, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) where they can lay their comments. These are two independent bodies that have the power to deal with complaints from newsmakers when they feel they have not been covered fairly. And we have seen consequences of that on media houses,” says Mahlase.
I’m prepared to meet you on condition you don’t bring racist things like this white young boy called @AdriaanBasson
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) November 24, 2018
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