Communications Minister Faith Muthambi needs to be educated about the role and functioning of the media‚ says the Congress of the People (COPE)‚ adding that she must know that a political party fully deserves the media it gets.
Muthambi used her budget vote speech in Parliament on Friday to hit out at the media for focusing on “scandalising government even if that means not getting all the facts right“.
She said the measure of a journalist was in “how ruthless their reporting can be about” the African National Congress (ANC) government.
“To some media houses their main mission is simply to paint this government as corrupt‚ hapless and inept … it has now become common cause that the independence and professionalism of many journalists are now measured on how ruthless their reporting can be about this ANC-led government‚” she said.
The ANC has said previously that media should be regulated and could not be allowed to do as they pleased.
Commenting on Muthambi’s remarks‚ COPE spokesman Dennis Bloem said: “Minister Faith Muthambi must know that a political party fully deserves the media it gets. We in COPE understand that principle very well from direct experience. We cannot complain about that. We had to take the blow on the chin and pay the price we had to.”
He added that in COPE’s view‚ journalists must indeed be “ruthless” with every political party in their reporting if they are to serve any purpose at all.
“Theirs is not the function to plant lipstick or provide a hairdo for cosmetic purposes. The ruling party already has a portion of the media doing that. In our view‚ politicians must fear a free‚ fearless and unfettered media. The dirt they dig up is the dirt that must be exposed to the nation.”
The role of the media was certainly not for the government to determine.
“Journalists‚ the Public Protector‚ judges and opposition MPs are reviled by the current ruling party because truth hurts‚ and deep truths hurt very deeply. The ANC is deeply damaged through self inflicted wounds that are now festering‚ Bloem added.
He charged that the ruling party “dismally fails the nation and then demands a sweetheart press”.
“The media must do what the media is supposed to do. There can be no holy cows for the media and there shouldn’t be any. Crooked politicians can never get good media from principled and professional journalists. Muthambi needs to be educated about the role and functioning of the media. Her ineptness in this regard is all too glaring.”
Muthambi needs to be educated about role of media‚ says COPE
Communications Minister Faith Muthambi needs to be educated about the role and functioning of the media‚ says the Congress of the People (COPE)‚ adding that she must know that a political party fully deserves the media it gets.
Muthambi used her budget vote speech in Parliament on Friday to hit out at the media for focusing on “scandalising government even if that means not getting all the facts right“.
She said the measure of a journalist was in “how ruthless their reporting can be about” the African National Congress (ANC) government.
“To some media houses their main mission is simply to paint this government as corrupt‚ hapless and inept … it has now become common cause that the independence and professionalism of many journalists are now measured on how ruthless their reporting can be about this ANC-led government‚” she said.
The ANC has said previously that media should be regulated and could not be allowed to do as they pleased.
Commenting on Muthambi’s remarks‚ COPE spokesman Dennis Bloem said: “Minister Faith Muthambi must know that a political party fully deserves the media it gets. We in COPE understand that principle very well from direct experience. We cannot complain about that. We had to take the blow on the chin and pay the price we had to.”
He added that in COPE’s view‚ journalists must indeed be “ruthless” with every political party in their reporting if they are to serve any purpose at all.
“Theirs is not the function to plant lipstick or provide a hairdo for cosmetic purposes. The ruling party already has a portion of the media doing that. In our view‚ politicians must fear a free‚ fearless and unfettered media. The dirt they dig up is the dirt that must be exposed to the nation.”
The role of the media was certainly not for the government to determine.
“Journalists‚ the Public Protector‚ judges and opposition MPs are reviled by the current ruling party because truth hurts‚ and deep truths hurt very deeply. The ANC is deeply damaged through self inflicted wounds that are now festering‚ Bloem added.
He charged that the ruling party “dismally fails the nation and then demands a sweetheart press”.
“The media must do what the media is supposed to do. There can be no holy cows for the media and there shouldn’t be any. Crooked politicians can never get good media from principled and professional journalists. Muthambi needs to be educated about the role and functioning of the media. Her ineptness in this regard is all too glaring.”
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