Media Statement by Inyathelo – The South African Institute for Advancement and Quo Vadis Communications

27 July 2009

The media: partnering for civil society

Although they need each other, the relationship between the media and civil society has not been at its best in post-apartheid South Africa, and both parties would do well to cultivate a more professional and respectful relationship.

This was the assertion of Theo Coggin, chief executive of Quo Vadis Communications, during ‘Breakfast on the second floor’, a function held by The South African Institute for Advancement (Inyathelo) in Cape Town last week. Coggin, who worked as a journalist in the 1970s and 1980s, has extensive experience in both the corporate and NGO sector.

“The media has certainly seen a loss of some of its best journalists since 1994 to various other fields, not at least government and business, and so too has civil society. This does not, however, explain the difficulty one experiences in persuading the media to take civil society as seriously as it did during the apartheid era.” Coggin said.

“To be sure, there is no trouble getting an editor to ensure coverage of a trade union conflict. But the days of media graciously giving coverage of to the charity around the corner have gone.”

He noted that when coverage is given to civil society, it is often superficial. He noted too that many news media are now in the habit of reproducing press releases verbatim.

“While this is satisfying from the point of view of the publisher of the press release, it hardly makes for good journalism.” Civil society thus had a proactive role to play, he said.

“There are a huge number of good stories for the telling that are being generated by civil society. The only way to get that news published is to share it in a professional manner with the media.

“A robust civil society should be challenging this practice and providing in-depth information to senior reporters and/or their editors. The challenge is to sustain this interest and assist in empowering and developing those journalists who have some commitment to the civil society sector,” he said.

Coggin suggested one of the reasons for shaky relationship between the media and civil society to be a lack of trust by some in civil society.

“Whatever one may think of the media – and many are suspicious of them- the media sways public opinion, influences the tide of social change and is able to reflect what is happening in communities through the work of civil society.”

Coggin noted that he had been asked to look at how civil society might engage the media – with perhaps the unspoken question of whether one should view the media as friend or foe.

“I hope I have come down strongly enough on the sided of having a professional and respectful relationship with the Fourth Estate, an entity that is not always going to write or broadcast precisely what civil society may wish. And neither should it.”

But there were still highly capable journalists who were willing to give coverage to the work of entities in civil society, such as NPOs, NGOs and the like. These organisations should engage the media and challenge them to reflect their work in fields as diverse as the environment, health, gender issues and good corporate governance, work that was critical in building a strong and stable South African society.

Issued by Quo Vadis Communications

About Inyathelo

The South African Institute of Advancement, colloquially known as Inyathelo (advancement in isiXhosa) is a world-recognised organisation dedicated to building a sustainable South African civil society. Its core work is to advance social change by working with key institutions and non-profit organisations to ensure their long-term sustainability. This is done by developing their own capacity to raise private investment towards advancing their objectives. Whilst working with organisations to develop their resource mobilisation skills. The Institute promotes social responsibility, personal philanthropy, voluntarism and self-reliance.

Quo Vadis Communications contact:
Chantal Meugens
Quo Vadis Communications
Cellphone: 083 676 2294 / landline: 011 487 0026
Email: [email][email protected]

Inyathelo contact:
Gaby Ritchie
Programme Director
Inyathelo – The South African Institute for Advancement
Cellphone: 082 453 9827 / landline 021 465 6981
Email: [email][email protected]