Are editorial decisions exercising selective morality?

This week at the Commonwealth conference titled "Parliament and Media"
where
the
two discussed ways of co-operation in Cape Town, minister in the
presidency
Essop Pahad accused the media of "selective morality" by reporting
media
attacks
in Africa and not in Israel. If Pahad's claim is correct, then
journalists
are
guilty of committing a serious crime against their own profession, by
letting
their sympathies define what constitutes "public interest".

The decision on what constitutes the public interest and therefore what
is
brought into national debates through the media, is a thorny issue,
because
it
touches on editorial independence and freedom of the press. However,
the
wider
understanding is that editorial decisions on what constitutes matters
of
public
interest are aimed at promoting human rights and democracy.

There are several institutions that constantly fight to define what
constitutes
the public interest. The state in most cases has been suspect of being
the
enemy
of the media. However, the business sector, and social, political and
ethnical
groups are equal suspects of being enemies of the media, because they
constantly
try to influence media in defining what is of public interest in an
attempt
to
promote their agendas and interests. It is when agendas about
particular
interest groups continuously come into national debates, while other do
not
make
it no matter how significant they are, that the issue of selective
morality
come
into question.

The increasing power of western media, particularly American and
British
media,
has also enabled the powerful western media and other institutions to
influence
the kinds of issues that find their way into national debates, for
example
in
African countries and even opinions, which are constructed. In that way
the
West
has also become suspect of being an enemy of African media.

Let us take for example the coverage on the recent developments in
Zimbabwe
where global news organisations, African news agencies and Southern
African
groups, particularly in South Africa, were all focusing. The focus on
the
harassment of citizens, journalists and media at large was deserved, as
were
the
criticisms on the drafting and passing of laws that clearly would
impact
negatively on the free circulation of information and the plight of
ordinary
citizens. The reports on the plight of media are still coming out, as
the
Zimbabwean government becomes more hostile to the press.

At least four journalists have been arrested under the new laws, namely
the
Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Public
Order and
Security Act. According to Reporters sans frontières (RSF), about 30
journalists
have been arrested over the past two years in Zimbabwe, making the
Zimbabwean
government one of the worst enemies of the media.

Mainly Southern Africa and western media have captured this situation
and in
the
process managed to almost create a common opinion on the problems
facing
Zimbabwe, without a really serious attempt to illustrate the
complexities
that
exists. In order to deal with Pahad's accusations of selective
morality, the
media should answer questions about their concentration on Zimbabwe.
How
independent were editorial decisions from say racial influences, or any
group
pressures that had either economic or political interests? Critics say
the
concentration was because there is a significant white population in
Zimbabwe
under attack by the Mugabe regime, hence media interest and commitment
of
resources to illustrate their plight to the world.

Whether this is true or not, the media has the obligation to explain
why for
example Madagascar is not featured prominently in western and Southern
African
news when it is on the brink of a civil war. The media should also
explain,
as
Pahad alleged, why media attacks in Israel are not featured in the
news.

Madagascar is today on the brink of a civil war. According to reports
from
Africaonline, at least 32 people have died since self- proclaimed
opposition
President Marc Ravalomanana declared himself president on 22 February.
He
argues
he won the 16 December presidential poll, claiming it was rigged to
favour
President Didier Ratsiraka. The official results declared no candidate
had
won
enough votes to be declared an outright winner, Ravalomanana has
rejected a
court-ordered run-off poll.

According to information gathered by Reporters sans frontières (RSF),
Paris,
in
Madagascar, on 2 February, Lieutenant-Colonel Coutiti, the information
minister's technical advisor, confiscated the private FM 91 radio
station's
equipment in Nosy Be (an island in the country's northern region) and
closed
the
station. A provincial councillor who supports Ravalomanana owns FM 91.

On 20 February, striking secondary school students ransacked and threw
stones at
the offices of the Amoron'i Mania Radio- Television (Art) station in
Ambositra
les Roses (south of Antsirabe). The students were protesting the
station's
coverage of events, which they considered to be overly partisan.
Ratsiraka
owns
the station.

During the night of 23 February, about ten masked men attacked the
offices
of
Ravalomanana's Madagascar Broadcasting Service (MBS) radio station in
Fianarantsoa (300 km south of the capital, Antananarivo). The offices
were
set
on fire and three night watchmen were seriously injured in the attack.
"We
have
locked ourselves inside the station offices for three days because we
fear
for
our safety," the radio station's editor-in-chief told a Madagascan
daily.

On 27 February, Radio Tsiokavao was set on fire by Ravalomanana
sympathisers.
The station's offices were totally destroyed in the blaze. Radio
Tsiokavao
is a
Ratsiraka supporter. One of the people responsible for the fire told
Agence
France-Presse: "We set the fire to avenge the one at MBS radio
station."

In addition, on 16 March, soldiers ransacked the offices of Radio
Soleil,
which
is owned by a pro-Ravalomanana member of the Malagasy National
Assembly. Two
days later, the same servicemen returned to the premises to destroy the
rest
of
the equipment.

On 8 April, the private station Radio-Télévision Analamanga (RTA)
announced
that
it would drop its news flash because of "telephone threats" and
"threats
against
journalists." According to one press release, the radio station had
taken
the
liberty of "merely providing information and had not slanted it in
favour
of, or
against, any individual, entity or party."

Last week, there were reports of gun battles, bombing of bridges and
attempts to
cut supplies to areas were supporters of Ratsiraka are based.
Ravalomanana
has
now call upon his supporters to prepare for war. Women and children are
being
killed in gun clashes. By the 16 of April a 16-year-old girl and a
31-year-old
woman had been killed. Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade invited them to
go
to
Dakar, the capital of his country, for peace talks.

Madagascar is a potentially dangerous situation that could develop into
Sierra
Leone or Rwanda, yet western media and even African media have not
touched
the
issue, at least with some seriousness. Despite the gravity of the
situation,
Madagascar has not made it to the national debates in many countries,
including
South Africa until the constitutional crisis was resolved. The media
has not
committed any resources to cover the problem in Madagascar.

While the Madagascar people are left in the cold, the Israel versus
Palestine
conflict receives enormous attention. However, questions of selective
morality
are arising from the way events are covered, opinions constructed, and
conclusions are arrived at.

In his address to the Commonwealth conference, Pahad mentions about six
influential bodies of the media world that have protested against
Israel on
its
attack on the media. The Foreign Press Association (of Jerusalem), the
Committee
to Protect Journalists (based in New York), the International
Federation of
Journalists (Brussels), the International Press Institute (Vienna),
Reporters
sans frontiers (Paris) and the World Association of Newspapers (Paris)
have
recently (9 April) issued an unprecedented statement attacking the
action of
the
Israeli government in seeking to seal off entire cities in Palestine as
"excessive, unjustifiable and utterly counterproductive".

According to Pahad, these bodies have urged Israel to allow the foreign
media
access to the cities of the West Bank, and asked Israeli officials "to
desist
from public attacks on the foreign press" through "irresponsible
generalisations". They have made a "fervent call" on Israel to
accredit
Palestinian journalists working for the foreign press out of the
Palestinian
territories.

The attack on the press in Israel is obviously a matter of great
concern. In
a
war situation like Israel and Palestine, free circulation of
information is
essential for the protection of the rights of the people in those
countries.
The
move by the six bodies was also an important issue because it began to
highlight
the plight of the media in that region. Still the media has chosen not
to
take
this up as an important debate on the Middle East crisis.

The selection of events in this manner has obviously resulted in the
media
being
blamed for being unfair and partial. Journalism as a profession is
supposed
to
have honest practitioners who stand for virtuous truth, and this has no
place
for selective morality.

The Dairy

Media charged with failing to respect the rights of children

The media was attacked last week for failing to respect the rights of
children
when covering matters involving them. According to the Mail and
Guardian
report
of April 12, well- known constitutional law expert Gilbert Marcus said
the
main
problem is that the voluntary codes of conduct governing the media
"don't
seem
to be working". As it currently stands, members of the public who find
their
rights have been violated by media reporting have recourse in the form
of
the
Advertising Standards Authority for advertising-related complaints, the
Broadcasting Complaints Commission for television and radio reporting,
and
the
Press Ombudsman for reports in the print media. But the guidelines
relating
to
reporting on a variety of issues, including child abuse and sexual
assault,
are
voluntary and, aside from making a finding and issuing a report, none
of
these
bodies can actually sanction a media group in the form of a penalty or
fine.

In addition, Section 154 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Act states that
it is
illegal to identify children who are either witnesses or perpetrators
in a
criminal act if they are under the age of 18.
South Africa is also signatory to several treaties on children's
rights,
including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
which
the
government ratified in 1995.

The Freedom of Expression Institute opposes regulation of press through
legal
means, however we call upon journalists to respect the rights of all
people
and
also adhere to journalistic ethics.

Jacob Zuma on Morality

Deputy President Jacob Zuma said sex and violence on TV is undermining
moral
values in South Africa and is bad for children. According to the Star
newspaper
of April 19, Zuma said persuasion of broadcasters to be cautious about
showing
explicit sex on TV could form part of the quest to renew moral values
in
South
Africa.

While the concept of moral regeneration should be taken seriously,
South
Africa
is a violent society and the violence that is shown on television is a
result of
what happens in the country. It will be then a mistake for broadcasters
to
ignore the events surrounding them. It is therefore important for the
Deputy
President to concentrate on finding ways of fighting violence rather
than
trying
to stop the media from broadcasting it.

Attack on City Press journalists

Three City Press journalists were attacked in KwaZulu Natal. According
to a
report in the City Press of April 14, businessman Michael Mwangi's
henchmen
assaulted journalists Wonder Hlongwa, Mandla Zulu and Bongani Hans at
his
business premise. The three had gone to Mwangi's business premises to
cover
a
march by the workers.

The City Press says the assault comes after the newspaper published an
article
about Mwangi's criminal activities last week.

The FXI condemns the attack as a serious offence against the free press
and
aks
that it be taken up by police as a matter of priority. Attacks on
journalists at
work are more than attacks on individuals. When journalists are
attacked on
their line of duty, circulation of information is impeded and the
public's
right
to information is affected.

Commonwealth conference

At least twenty-eight members of Parliament and media professionals,
attending
the Indian Ocean Rim Conference on Parliament and the Media in Cape
Town,
South
Africa, signed a declaration on the events in Zimbabwe. The event was
co-organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the World
Bank
Institute, the Commonwealth Press Union, the Commonwealth Journalists
Association, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and the South
African
Parliament.

According to press statement from Media Institute of South Africa
(MISA) of
April 17 the conference noted the following.

1. Note with deep concern
The serious obstruction of the free flow of information to the citizens
of
Zimbabwe; The restrictive and punitive nature of the Access to
Information
and
Protection of Privacy Act; and the deterioration of relations between
the
Government and independent journalists.

2. Reaffirm, as shared value of Commonwealth nations, that a free press
is
fundamental to democracy.

3. Call on the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the Principles of the
Coolum
Declaration of February 2002 in which it joined with other Commonwealth
leaders
united in a commitment to democracy, the rule of law, good governance,
freedom
of expression and the protection of human rights;

To immediately repeal all laws that are inconsistent with these
principles,
and
ensure the safety and protection of its citizens, parliamentarians and
those
working in the media who seek to exercise their democratic rights..

Zimbabwean journalists arrested

Another three journalists have been arrested in Zimbabwe. They are
Dumisani
Muleya, chief reporter for the independent business weekly Zimbabwe
Independent
and also correspondent for Business Day newspaper in South Africa, and
Geoff
Nyarota, editor-in-chief of Zimbabwe's only independent daily The Daily
News.
They were both arrested on April 16. Iden Wetherell, the editor of the
Zimbabwe
Independent was also arrested on Wednesday April 17 for publishing
Muleya's
story.

According to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) in a
statement
issued
on 16 April, Muleya was arrested for "tarnishing the image" of the
First
Lady
Grace Mugabe. Muleya reported that Erasmus Marufu, Mugabe's brother,
was
involved in a labour dispute in which he had solicited the help of his
sister.
Nyarota was arrested on allegations of publishing a false news item on
the
outcome of the controversial March 2002 presidential elections. He
stands
accused of having falsified information by alleging that Registrar
General
Tobaiwa Mudede announced contradicting results in the presidential
elections
in
different media outlets.

SA Journalists snubbed at conference

Citizen newspaper reported that the Press Gallery was snubbed in
parliament
this
week when a Commonwealth conference on "Parliament and Media" excluded
them
from
representation. Ironically, the conference, meant to find ways for
parliament
and media to work together, snubbed the very media it encouraged to
work
with
parliament.

For further information please contact
Freedom of Expression Institute
Information and Communications Officer
Scotch Tagwireyi
Phone: 27 11 403 8403
Cell: 27 82 821 0756