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MosselbayonTheline | First With The News

Mass Media - the biggest mass murderer of the Truth?

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Spesialiteitsnuus
 
The traditional printed media is increasingly fighting a losing battle to survive the tsunami of mass media flooding every possible communication circuit, spurred by hungry, hasty masses who want to say, see and hear it ALL - NOW!
 
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Social media has an unstoppable life of its own and seconds after a major catastrophe or calamity occurred, the tweets, twitters, twats and Facebook/Instagram photos start pouring in with detailed graphic descriptions and footage . . . 
 
No traditional media outlet can compete with the technology freely available to anyone with moderate knowledge of the latest cellphone apps and gadgets. While social media has many advantages and even life-saving benefits, the freedom of speech it offers to every Tom, Dick and Harry is taking its toll.
 
Fake news, slander and internet fraud have become part of our daily lives and the trick to distinguish between truth, trash or treat has become a Halloweenish nightmare. 
 
Where does that leave traditional newspapers - and more specific - dedicated and time-consuming investigative journalism - supposedly one of the cornerstones of democracy and an essential necessity for an informed, functioning world?
 
Daily and weekly newspapers and magazines have no chance to stay abreast of breaking news streaming on the internet and have all compromised by having online editions to keep up with the constant news flood.
 
But at what cost if there is no time to check the facts or if official spokespersons are evasive, incompetent or muzzled by their superiors?
 
In sunny South Africa, the fast-fact-finding mission on short notice/deadline has become Mission Impossible as most authorities - from national to provincial and local governmental departments - have adopted an evasive, no comment policy to any straight media questions. Spinners need at least a few days to string, polish and wrap their half-truths together in a neat, meaningless and politically correct press release . . .
 
No official spokesperson can, want or MAY speak openly and off the cuff anymore, which leaves journalists in a catch 22- position to either leave the story entirely (miss the scoop) or to rely on unconfirmed rumours, hearsay and social media reports to whip up a reasonable account of what allegedly happened according to various sources . . . .   
 
Small wonder that most newspapers have to rely on follow-up stories to rectify the initial misinformation - and often the two accounts differ so dramatically that readers lose trust in the authenticity of the media . . .   
 
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Is die media in gevaarwaters?
Deur Murray La Vita
Waarom het die publiek se vertroue in die media afgeneem?
 
 
’n Groep Afrikaanse medialeiers het hieroor en oor sake soos fopnuus, My fok, Marelize, en die invloed van die moord op Reeva Steenkamp op die nuuslandskap gepraat, berig Murray La Vita
Een van die waterskeidings in die Suid-Afrikaanse joernalistiek die afgelope jare was die moord op Reeva Steenkamp deur Oscar Pistorius op Valentynsdag 2013, sê Pieter du Toit, adjunkredakteur van News24.
 
Hy was een van die deelnemers aan die eerste diskoers in Die Burger se Praat Saam Diskoers-reeks op die KKNK in Oudtshoorn.
 
“Dit was vir ons baie definitief ’n skeiding gewees van hoe ons nuus verpak het vóór 14 Februarie 2013 en ná 14 Februarie 2013. Dit was die eerste keer waar ons in die Afrikaanse media, en ek was destyds by Beeld gewees, ’n brekende storie dádelik en deurlopend op digitale platforms begin dek het. Dit was strydig met hoe ons dit altyd gedoen het by koerante.
“Dít was die eerste waterskeiding. Maar waar ons nou is, moet ons alles wat ons destyds geleer het weer óntleer en nuwe tegnieke en maniere om stories te vertel aanleer. Waar goed vyf jaar gelede rewolusionêr was, is dit amper nou oud.”
Die onderwerp van die diskoers was: Is die media in die gevaarwaters?
 
“Ons vra dit na aanleiding van allerhande studies wat wys dat die publiek vertroue in die media verloor het,” het Ivor Price, gespreksleier, gesê.
 
“Die Edelman-vertroue-indeks vir 2018 het getoon dat openbare vertroue in die media ’n bloedneus gekry het met tot 63% van mense wat glo dat nuusorganisasies eerder groot gehore wil trek as om eerlik verslag te doen.”
 
Hy wou by Willem Jordaan, redakteur van Die Burger, weet of hy so ’n vertrouensbreuk tussen nuusmediums en hul verbruikers sien.
 
Willem Jordaan
 
“Ek dink dit is ’n baie moeilike tyd vir die media internasionaal, maar ook in SuidAfrika. In die aanloop tot die Zondo-kommissie was daar prominente publikasies wat baie seergekry het wat die bevordering van eng politieke belange betref.
 
“Wat ’n ou moet bysê en wat ’n ou moed gee, is dat Sanef, die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Redakteursforum, báie skerp gereageer het en ’n beroep gedoen het op mediahuise oor die land heen om weer te kyk na hul etiese prosedures en hul
nuusprosedures wat daar is om daardie soort van bevordering van eng belange uit te hou. Daarby is die kode van die persombudsman ook versterk en hersien.
In die aanloop tot die Zondo-kommissie was daar prominente publikasies wat baie seergekry het wat die bevordering van eng politieke belange betref. ” – Willem Jordaan
“Maar wat die situasie vir die media in Suid-Afrika veral moeilik maak, is die feit dat die tradisionele kommersiële model besig is om sterk te verander. Tradisionele adverteerders is besig om Facebook en Google toe te skuif, en ofskoon ’n koerant dalk nie in die eerste plek bestaan om geld te maak nie, móét ’n koerant geld maak om te kan bestaan.
 
“Daarom werk ons baie hard daaraan om ’n volhoubare toekoms vir gehaltejoernalistiek in Afrikaans op ’n platform soos Netwerk24 te bou, en ek wil ’n beroep doen op ons lesers om ons in daardie projekte te ondersteun.”
Ons is nie almal so nie
 
Du Toit het die punt gemaak dat die media nie ’n homogene organisme is nie.
 
“Die uitgangspunte en redaksionele benadering en dikwels ook waardes, verskil van titel tot titel. So ek dink die leserspubliek moet ook versigtig wees om die media as een entiteit saam te groepeer en te sê die media is sus of die media is só.
“In die verlede was die media huiwerig om hulle kollegas uit te wys en daar is steeds ’n ongemaklikheid daaroor om kollegas uit te wys wat verkeerd met feite omgaan, maar dit is toenemend so dat daar standpunt ingeneem word.
 
“En wat is die uitwerking? Die invloed van iets soos die Sunday Times se beriggewing oor die sogenaamde Cato Manor-hit squads en die beriggewing oor die sogenaamde 'rogue unit' van Sars – die inligting wat hulle gebruik het was vals én geplant – dít teer-en-veer die hele media. En ek dink dit vind dan inslag by opmerkings deur die publiek dat mense sê die media is sus of die media is só.”
Fopnuus se skuld
Price het Carryn-Ann Nel, joernalis en dosent in die Universiteit Stellenbosch se joernalistiekdepartement, gepols oor die verslag wat daarop dui dat mense minder vertroue in die media het.
“Fopnuus, wat die afgelope paar jare baie toegeneem het, is een van die redes waarom mense vertroue verloor het. Die verslag van Reuters sê 58% van mense is baie meer bewus van fopnuus. Mense se oë het oopgegaan vir hoe fopnuus elke dag om ons is.”
 
Price het aan Kobus Louwrens, mede-stigter van Food for Mzansi, gesê hy hoor die heeltyd mense sê fopnuus is nie die probleem nie, die internet, die digitale era, is die eintlike rede waarom mense vertroue in die media verloor het.
 
“Ek dink dit speel ’n rol; ons almal weet dit was ’n baie ontwrigtende ontwikkeling – dit is soos ’n groot brander wat die tradisionele media getref het en ons is nog altyd besig om te rol en te rol en te probeer om ons voete weer te vind. Maar die positiewe daarvan is dat dit besig is om nuwe geleenthede te skep in die media, want soos julle sê mense raak al hoe meer bewus van fopnuus en dit plaas ’n premie op bronne wat bewys het hulle is betroubaar.
 
“Daar is ook ’n model wat besig is om te ontwikkel waar mense betaal vir inhoud, maar ook waar inhoud betaal word deur byvoorbeeld borge, mense wat voel dit is nodig dat sekere inhoud gedeel word waar die tradisionele media dit nie kan doen nie.”
Goeie nuus, asseblief
Die media se rol het verander, maar die verbruikers se behoeftes het ook verander; daar is byvoorbeeld ’n toenemende behoefte aan goeie of bemoedigende nuus, het Price gesê.
 
Pieter du Toit het hieroor gesê: “Ja, te midde van staatskapings en ontbloting van grootskaalse korrupsie wíl mense positiewe nuus lees. Een van die mees geleesde stories op News24 die afgelope maand was die My fok, Marelize-storie. Mense was mál daaroor gewees.”
 
Marelize Horn
Marelize Holm en haar ma wie se video van Marelize se fietsry-flater die land weke lank aan die vloek gehad het. 
 
Nel het gesê mense hou van emosie in ’n storie.
 
“Die oomblik wat jy aan ’n emosie raak, hetsy dit iemand se lagspiere prikkel of as hulle huil as hulle ’n storie lees . . . Dis altyd goed om daardie balans te hê.”
Esmaré Weideman, voormalige uitvoerende hoof van Media24, het uit die gehoor ’n lansie gebreek vir die gehalte van joernaliste wat ons in Suid-Afrika het.
 
“Ons is geseën met ongelooflik goeie joernaliste en van hulle sit daar op die verhoog en van hulle kry heeltemal te veel kritiek vanuit die Afrikaanse gemeenskap uit.
 
“Terwyl ’n mens baie hartseer moet wees as die integriteit van die media deur sommiges skade berokken word, moet ons ook net baie dankbaar wees dat hiérdie mense onder moeilike omstandighede met min tyd en jong nuuskantore . . . nuus
vinnig moet uitkry en besluite moet neem. En hulle blaas baie min hul eie beuel as dit kom byvoorbeeld by die rol wat die media gespeel het in die oopvlek van staatskaping.
 
“Ons as publiek moet ons koerante en ander nuusplatforms wat geld vra, ondersteun. R99 [maandelikse intekengeld vir Netwerk24] is géén geld vir die gehalte en verskeidenheid van publikasies en joernalistiek wat ons kry nie. Ons behoort eintlik báie meer te betaal daarvoor.”
 
 

Naspers shareholders launch organisation for investigative journalism

2019-02-28 20:00

News24 correspondent

Ton Vosloo
 

Investigative journalism is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, but is often hampered by a lack of funding, former Naspers chairperson Ton Vosloo said at the announcement of a non-profit organisation for investigative journalism within Media24.

During a conversation at the Centre for Student Communities at Stellenbosch University, Vosloo said the organisation, called Truth First, had been established to help the country's best investigative journalists continue their work.

He and his wife Anet have already made a R3.5m donation to establish it.

They have appealed to Naspers shareholders and concerned South Africans to contribute to Truth First to help responsibly fund investigative journalism.

 "Aside from the financial adaptions the news media has had to make worldwide in the era of the internet and social media, we have a unique challenge in South Africa," Vosloo said. "We have informed, equipped and ingenious journalists who have been responsible for bringing controversial revelations - among other things, state capture - to light. Their ability to do in-depth 'digging' is however often hampered by a lack of resources.

"Journalism of this kind can take months and happens outside the daily news agenda. It is expensive but similarly important that we keep up with this work to sustain our threatened democracy.

"The aims of Truth First are, among other things, to encourage quality investigative journalism in the public interest and to promote an honest, free media that exposes transgressions. It must also contribute to a sense of empowerment by enabling South Africans to hold public institutions accountable.

"In basically my entire adult life as a journalist, I learnt through experience that the cornerstone of democracy in South Africa is a free, independent media," Vosloo said.

"During recent years, it has been proven over and over, with brave and responsible investigative journalism that led to the large-scale exposure of corruption and maladministration across a wide spectrum. It is a gift of grace that I'm in the position to contribute to the establishment of Truth First. May it strengthen our journalism to successfully continue its life sustaining work in new, difficult circumstances."

Journalists working for Media24 will be able to pitch investigative projects that require additional resources to a committee made up of the directors of Truth First. All applications will have to adhere to funding rules.

In addition to the Vosloo couple, the other directors are: Joe Thloloe, former press ombudsman; Charlene Beukes, general manager: News and Lifestyle at 24.com; Adriaan Basson, editor-in-chief of News24; Mondli Makhanya, editor-in-chief of City Press; Henriëtte Loubser, editor-in-chief of Netwerk24; and Oloff Sieberhagen, a lawyer at Marais Müller Hendricks Attorneys.

Thloloe applauded Naspers shareholders for the initiative to give back to journalism and said it was a very innovative way to raise funds for investigative journalism.

"Investigative journalism is really threatened due to publications losing money and cutting costs." 

According to Thloloe, it is often one of the first forms of journalism that is cut, because it takes time and money and removes journalists from the stream of daily news.

"Anyone that appreciates investigative work will want to support this project. The country is where it currently is thanks to those that exposed apartheid and the endemic corruption that we are seeing now. They are the ones that are keeping us informed."

"The biggest gift of a free media is that the public can have peace of mind that they will know the truth," Anet Vosloo said.

"That is the confidence that we want to engender with Truth First: to know that Media24 goes out of its way to make sure readers are part of an honest and sincere inner circle who hears the full story."

Anyone who wants more information about Truth First or wants to make a donation can send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

* News24 is a publication of Media24, an affiliate of Naspers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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