SA media turning minor issues into national crises: ANC
The ANC released a discussion document on Sunday (12 March), detailing how the party plans to implement its communications policy and win the “battle of ideas” in the lead up to its national policy conference in June.
According to the document, one of the party’s greatest concerns are the anti-ANC and adversarial editors across South Africa’s largest media houses in what is “overt favouritism of the political opposition”.
“Greater convergence has meant that (these) anti-ANC voices, some of which overtly favour the political opposition, dominate not just one but multiple platforms at any given time,” noted the document.
“Challenges and divisions within the ANC and the broader mass democratic movement have created an opportunity for exploitation by such opponents of the ANC.”
“By exaggeration, selective interpretation and punditry, and elevating relatively minor issues into national crises, opponents of the ANC aim to gain currency for their narrative of an organisation in terminal decline, and of a country on the brink of failed statehood.”
“This has naturally placed the ANC and government on the defensive.”
The plan
In an analysis of the document, Legalbrief’s Pam Saxby noted that ANC has called for an immediate parliamentary inquiry into media accountability mechanisms and the desirability of establishing a media appeals tribunal.
The document indicates that the inquiry should be completed by the June conference and will include the “possibility” of amending current defamation laws.
Simultaneously the document has authorised the commission of research into “the best model” to regulate print and other media as well as special consideration for social media platforms.
It did note that the constitutional imperative of media freedom would be taken into account but at the same time the importance of media credibility would also have to be considered.
In her analysis Saxby also noted that the country’s larger media outlets would now be directly in the firing line as the document also calls for “radical legislative and regulatory interventions on cross-media ownership”, and “a review of existing broadcasting policy and legislation”.
“These should be made in the context of a broader debate about ‘dismantling’ monopoly capital, and similar economic transformation policy imperatives,” said Saxby.
ANC vows to be better
While the document primarily focuses on legislative procedures the ANC plans to follow it has also noted a failure by the party in governmental communications.
If a ‘deliberate’ plan by opposition parties to ‘undermine the integrity of Parliament and the legislatures’ is to be thwarted, their communications infrastructure will need to be strengthened and officials appropriately trained, said Saxby.
“Not only would this ‘enable them to better promote the work being done in their respective areas’. They would be equipped to ‘articulate the ANC’s position on socio-economic transformation and … building a better SA in a manner that is consistent and coherent,” she concluded.
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