South Africa slipped down three notches on the Press Freedom Index and activists say this is worrying. Reporters without Borders released their findings ahead of International Press Freedom Day. The decline is attributed to the violation of journalist privacy by government. The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) says there’s a growing trend of distrust of the media in the country.
As service delivery protests get more heated, increasing violence against journalist by the public. In the past few weeks, three SABC journalists have had hair raising incidents in communities
A further infringement on journalists’ personal lives by politicians and political parties, contributed to the decline in press freedom. South Africa dropped from 28 to 31 on the Press Freedom Index.
SANEF Chairperson, Mahlatse Mahlatse, says that the attack on journalists is a worrying trend.
“We’ve seen an onslaught/attacks on the media by political parties; political leaders themselves attacking media. Publishing of Karima Brown’s phone number by Julius [Malema] is attacking media. We’ve seen Members of Parliament attacking journalists, these are worrying trends.”
SANEF is launching an inquiry into claims of media capture and credibility to rebuild the trust relationship between the public and the industry.
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