As the country prepares for a new political administration following the hotly contested elections, the media, as one of the critical pillars of democracy, should vigorously consider an umbrella code of ethics for print, broadcast and online media.
Although there seems to be some reluctance from certain quarters for the convergence of print, broadcast and online media regulation, a study by Rhodes University scholar Dr Taryn Isaacs De Vega has highlighted key possibilities for the merger of the Press Council of South Africa (PCSA) and the Broadcast Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA).
Since the restructuring of the Press Council, which regulates print and online media following the recommendations by the Press Freedom Commission established by Print Media South Africa (PMSA) and the South African National Editors’ Forum following the ANC’s 2010 proposal for the establishment of a media appeals tribunal, the study has concluded that the Press Council “effectively adjudicates complaints from the public”.
Titled “Media accountability mechanism in South Africa – a critical study of the regulatory bodies for print, broadcast and online media, and a model for regulation, which investigated the effectiveness of the media initiated regulatory institutions in South Africa”, the study by De Vega also gives a thumbs up to the self-regulatory system.
The study, which was conducted between 2020 and 2023, explores the BCCSA and the PCSA, and the extend to which media councils, effectively and efficiently resolves complaints alongside other mandates of the mechanisms, such as holding the media to account, maintaining media freedom for media producers, and protecting the rights of audiences and media users, in the public interest.
The research “also questions the Press Council’s approach to niche cases with a high social impact as an indicator of public interests and further evaluates the PCSA’s relationship and participation with the public.
In his no-holds-barred speech at the Organisation of News Ombuds and Standards Editors conference in Cape Town recently, PCSA chairperson of the appeals committee Judge Bernard Ngoepe called on the media to strive for ethical journalism and for journalists to always abide and adhere by the council’s press code in order to thwart any possible external media regulation such as that proposed in 2010.
“The media does not want to be regulated by the state because it fears censorship, whereas the state’s fear is that the media, left alone, would go overboard and should therefore be regulated.
“The mistrust is reflected in the kind of mechanisms proposed by the state or the media: the state would want a rigid statutory regime, dominated or controlled by its machinery, in particular, by ensuring that it dominates the regulating mechanism; on the other hand, the media would want a mechanism structured or composed in such a way as to be free of state regulation.
“There is only one way to ward off the pressure for state regulation: it is to have an effective and credible self-regulatory mechanism; let us emphasise the words ‘effective and credible’,” Ngoepe said.
With the study making a convincing argument for an umbrella code, for both the BCCSA and the PCSA appeals processes, it, however, argues about what could be improved and enhanced. The notion of a cross-platform appeals process in which both media council’s concurrently review appeal processes could be an interesting notion to explore.
It also would be helpful that while comparing and contrasting respective codes of conduct of the Press Council and the BCCSA, to also take a look at the work of the Advertising Regulatory Board in regulating the advertising in the country.
Suffice to say, it’s important for the media to self-regulate and for media practitioners to adhere to basic tenets of journalism, especially during the era of artificial intelligence. Media ethics are a cornerstone of a free and independent media.
It would therefore require sober minds to engage in a festival of ideas from all stakeholders, media activists, journalists, government spokespersons, academics, researchers, government, political parties and civil society.
It is imperative for journalists to be ethical and deal with ethical dilemmas in their course of their duties.
In the final analysis, it’s important to defend and safeguard the fourth estate for the sake of our democracy.
As a mirror of society, the media should operate in a vibrant rather than a hostile environment while holding those in positions of power and influence accountable.
- Sepotokele is a journalist, communication strategist, media trainer and journalism lecturer
