MALAIKA MAHLATSI | Metro FM hosting bogus doctor Lani an indictment on journalism

Two days ago, Metro FM, one of the biggest radio stations in the country, hosted the infamous Matthew Lani on one of its prime shows, Metro FM Talk. Lani, the young man who was exposed for having built a large social media following based on the dangerous lie about being a medical doctor, was apprehended by law enforcement just a few weeks ago when he entered Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg, with the aim of curating social media content.

But Lani’s lies did not end at visiting hospitals in scrubs and stethoscopes pretending to be a doctor, he was also selling pills to unsuspecting social media followers. While the National Prosecuting Authority subsequently withdrew charges against him, there’s no question that by impersonating a medical doctor, he did in fact break the law. Lani later admitted that he is not a doctor.

It is evident to most people, and certainly to mental health professionals who were interviewed at the height of the Lani story, that the young man is likely suffering from mental illness. The pathological lies in the face of contrary evidence and the elaborate impersonation bordering on criminality, as well as the fact that Lani went to a school for pupils with special needs, are all symptomatic of something much bigger than just someone chasing social media clout. Lani needs professional help.

But Metro FM, one of the shining jewels of the SABC, the ailing public broadcaster, saw it necessary to perpetuate Lani’s harmful behaviour by giving him a platform to sustain his theatrics. The host insinuated that the intention of the discussion was to lay Lani’s lies to rest, but it was evident not only in the orientation of the discussion and the adverts that went out before, that the aim was to sensationalise the Lani phenomenon in the mind of a society still reeling from his antics.

Sensationalism might get people talking but it doesn’t build societal consciousness. SA is faced with a lot of issues, good and bad, that necessitate conversation. There are many issues that deserve a public platform as big as prime time radio.

There are many young people in our country who are doing meaningful work that is contributing significantly to nation building, such as those running community-based organisations aimed at the empowerment of a disenfranchised populace. There are young people who are battling real challenges whose stories deserve to be heard by those who could potentially intervene with sustainable solutions, such as young entrepreneurs needing access to markets or information about funding opportunities. There are university graduates who could be given a platform to share the lived realities of life after graduation in a country with a segmented labour market and so on.

Issues that truly matter to and about young people are abundant and many of them receive little or no attention. And this is why centering the likes of Lani in public discourse is irresponsible.

Metro FM, in opting for sensationalism over substance, reduced the talk show to a conveyor belt of junk journalism. This brand of journalism is more interested in promoting traffic to news sites and fails the basic test of integrity and competence. It is invested in sensationalism.

More than this, the station preyed on the vulnerabilities of a young man who clearly needs help, but who, to the station, was ripe for the picking in the name of increasing listenership. Committing to finding psychiatric treatment for him was a mere stunt. It was always clear that this is what Lani needed, it did not require him to be on prime time radio for this assessment to be made. But above all else, the station undermined the collective intelligence of South Africans. This is unconscionable.