African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson, Zizi Kodwa says the governing party shouldn’t expect the media to be its mouth-piece.
This as at the weekend President Jacob Zuma, used his outgoing address to lambast the media.
He called it an active participant, with vested interest, rather than impartial observers of the ANC.
Kodwa says the ANC leadership needs to maintain a cordial relationship with the media and recognise its role in a democracy.
He says the media has helped the ANC.
“Some of the exposes that we would not have known came from the media,” says Kodwa.
“Our relationship is contradictory and complementary but the media relations between the ANC particularly in the leadership and the media is very important. We shouldn’t in the instant of bad reporting brush the media with the same brush and expect that the media will all be the love and darlings of the ANC.”
He says the ANC must engage the media when they disagree.
“Lets raise it because I don’t think we expect it to say all the sweet news about the ANC. There are moments were they must be rough because they expect better from the ANC,” he adds.
