South Africa: ANCYL to expose 'corrupt' journos

A mud-slinging campaign by the ANC Youth League against some South African journalists is set to continue with a threat to name at least one newspaper staff member it claims has been bribed.

 

The Youth League has also repeated its claim that some journalists had slept with politicians in order to get inside information.

The claims have been condemned as a form of harassment and intimidation of journalists, and even President Jacob Zuma has expressed his concern.

 

But Youth League spokesman Floyd Shivambu was unrepentant when he appeared on the SAfm Radio discussion programme, the After Eight Debate, on the topic of this recent "harassment" of the media.

Shivambu denied the league had investigated the journalists concerned and insisted the information had been brought to its attention by an outside source.

"There are people who brought to our attention information about possibly corrupt journalists in the City Press and information about other things," he said.

Shivambu said the league had "lots of other important things to do", but when such information was offered it had a responsibility to expose possible corrupt, unethical practices within the media.

He said the league had brought the information to the attention of the editor of City Press, saying that one of his employees was in "conflict with the law".

This employee, Shivambu claimed, was "saving millions" in his bank, money for which he could not account.

He claimed neither City Press nor other media houses had been willing to publish the information provided. "How do you expose corrupt tendencies in the media and other sectors of society?"

Shivambu said the information had been offered honestly and openly.

He repeated a claim made recently by league president Julius Malema that some journalists were sleeping with politicians and said this was "based on reality".

Shivambu said: "We know there are lots of journalists who sleep with politicians to obtain information."

He mentioned the Sunday Times and Business Day.

"Some of them know that we know. We have spoken to them about it... There is nothing wrong with us telling the truth, because that is our responsibility."

He said that the corrupt journalists' details would be made public at "an appropriate moment".

"The journalists know who they are."

His threats and the level of the public conflict was described as "unfortunate" by a second member of the debating panel, Thabo Leshilo, chairman of the media freedom committee of the South African National Editors' Forum.

Leshilo said people had a right to a private life and knowledge of their sexual activities should not be in the possession of the Youth League.

He said the sex claims seemed to be directed at women journalists.

"It gives the impression women journalists are incapable of getting good stories unless they sleep with other people... It is very insulting."

A third member of the panel, William Bird, director of Media Monitoring Africa, responded to a series of phone calls to the debate from listeners suggesting that if journalists wanted the right to investigate others, they should be willing to be investigated themselves.

This was not the case, he said. Journalists were not employed as public officials but were there to monitor those who were.

He said other organisations - "the Press Council, Media Monitoring Africa, the Freedom of Expression Institute and various others" - were there in a watchdog role over journalists.

"Had the ANC Youth League on receiving this information, had a genuine concern about the nature of it, they would have been able to follow other routes to make sure they addressed their concerns.

"The way they have gone about it is, I think, in itself grossly unethical and I think it has raised a level of debate that is very unfortunate."

 

- March 25, 2010 by Cape Argus

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Source: www.capeargus.co.za (accessed 26.03.10)