PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma, who historically had a frosty relationship with the media, yesterday acknowledged the positive contributions made by various media houses in building the nation.
He applauded the media in helping government fight corruption, but urged editors to continue telling the positive stories about the country here and abroad.
He said the country was on the right path and was a source of envy to people he met around the world.
"Because we are a transparent society we tend to be too critical of ourselves," he said, adding this was not a bad thing as "it kept us on our toes".
He said: "Freedom of expression is one of the key achievements of our young democracy, the freedom to disagree and to be free to express that disagreement.
"At the same time, we believe the media has a responsibility as well in a young democracy and a developing country like ours, to promote hope, nation building, development and unity. We appreciate the role that the media is playing in our country already in this regard."
He praised the media's role in the fight against HIV/Aids and corruption.
"The media has played an important role in the campaign against Aids over many years. We also wish to acknowledge the contribution of the media to the campaign against corruption," he said.
"While many corruption cases arise from government investigations, many others came about through the hard work of the media. We are satisfied that we have enough instruments in the country to help us fight this scourge."
He added that Lead SA and the Department of Arts and Culture would soon launch a build-up to 20 years of freedom this month where Fridays would be called "Freedom Friday".
This means citizens would wear anything that makes them feel South African each Friday.
Media praised for its role in nation building
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma, who historically had a frosty relationship with the media, yesterday acknowledged the positive contributions made by various media houses in building the nation.
He applauded the media in helping government fight corruption, but urged editors to continue telling the positive stories about the country here and abroad.
He said the country was on the right path and was a source of envy to people he met around the world.
"Because we are a transparent society we tend to be too critical of ourselves," he said, adding this was not a bad thing as "it kept us on our toes".
He said: "Freedom of expression is one of the key achievements of our young democracy, the freedom to disagree and to be free to express that disagreement.
"At the same time, we believe the media has a responsibility as well in a young democracy and a developing country like ours, to promote hope, nation building, development and unity. We appreciate the role that the media is playing in our country already in this regard."
He praised the media's role in the fight against HIV/Aids and corruption.
"The media has played an important role in the campaign against Aids over many years. We also wish to acknowledge the contribution of the media to the campaign against corruption," he said.
"While many corruption cases arise from government investigations, many others came about through the hard work of the media. We are satisfied that we have enough instruments in the country to help us fight this scourge."
He added that Lead SA and the Department of Arts and Culture would soon launch a build-up to 20 years of freedom this month where Fridays would be called "Freedom Friday".
This means citizens would wear anything that makes them feel South African each Friday.
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