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presspectives
Walking on sunshine
by Julie Versfeld, Tessa Kruger and Gavin Smith
Sunset or sunrise journalism? Political journalists find themselves at a watershed after recent comments by prominent politicians have thrown the spotlight on the role of the press in nation building.
Media coverage of important events such as the 1976 Soweto riots, the Information scandal, the Angolan war and general political unrest was distorted, or bludgeoned into silence by National Party censorship. By restricting the press the Apartheid regime glorified its own position, as the press was forced to deviate from the facts with significant omissions and summarisations.
With the birth of South Africa’s first fully inclusive democracy in April 1994, the role of the South African press changed significantly. For the first time in the country’s history, the press can fulfil its watchdog role unblinkered by state impositions, restrictions and intimidation
However, Deputy President Thabo Mbeki recently called on those "who had vision of the revolutionary transformation which faced South Africa to redefine the news, and position the media, so they would also become an important element in the engine that would lead to the country’s destination.
This statement, which urges media criticism to be restrained by patriotism for the ‘New’ South Africa, has brought the role of the political journalist into the spotlight. Should the press play an active role in nation building by withholding criticism of the new government, or, is it open season on a government still trying to find its footing? Secondly, is a press which is intimidated into self-censorship proud and healthy?
According to Tim du Plessis, political editor of Beeld, the media is not excluded from the changes taking place "in every sphere of life" in South Africa. It is transforming and "occasional snippets of sunshine journalism may be part of this. The Star’s banner headline Vote the Beloved Country on 27 April 1994 springs to mind. So does Beeld’s front page on Inauguration Day in May 1994: no copy, only the pictures of Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk taking the oath under a banner headline that read Laat Vrede Regeer."
Many newspapers also preferred the sunshine side of journalism during the Rugby World Cup in the winter of 1995 and the African Cup of Nations (soccer) in the summer of 1996. That is acceptable and may even have been desirable, says Du Plessis.
"But the point of departure should never be sunshine journalism, or transition journalism, as it is also known. The press must simply report the facts, as objectively and fairly as possible. Special emphasis must be given to context and perspective, he says.
The role of the media in creating national unity and forging a new society can best be served if it sticks to its traditional job of reporting and explaining the facts. If nation building and unity result from that, so be it."
If the press is seduced into playing the role of Government imbongi, or, on the other hand, take on the role of official opposition in absence of an effective Parliamentary opposition, the role and function of a free press will be diminished and undermined. Ultimately our emerging democracy will be the biggest loser, Du Plessis warns.
"Sunshine journalism will not build a sunshine country when there is no such country. Neither will sunset journalism prevent the emergence of one, if that is what is really happening in society." Gaye Davis, political editor of the Mail & Guardian, says "fragile is a word often used to describe South Africa’s new democracy, and fragile it is - not unlike a young tree just planted, that has yet to establish a vigorous root system and send out leaves. Everyone in society shares responsibility for seeing that it does, not least the press, whose job it is to ensure that government (as the chief gardener) carries out the electorate’s mandate in seeing the tree grows tall and strong."
There are those in government who feel the press is unduly critical of it, displaying a hostile attitude that was appropriate under apartheid but is no longer, Davis says.
"The media as a whole should reflect more deeply on its role in society, especially one that is in transition. Certainly, our newly acquired press freedom does not give us license to post ourselves outside the garden wall, hurling rubbish in the form of inaccurate, sensationalised or selective reporting."
Davis disagrees with those saying that the press should practice sunshine journalism, writing only good-news stories and ignoring or down-playing the bad. "Giving the government ‘a chance’ by holding back from rigorous scrutiny of its policies and actions poses an immediate problem: when and where does one draw the line? What happens to elected representatives’ understanding of accountability if no-one is reminding them that it’s part of their job description?"
"Just how long would our saplings grow, in the artificial light shed by sunshine journalism? Who would know about the potentially lethal rot attacking our young saplings’ roots if no-one was doing any digging?" she asks.
Government’s frustrations with the press lie in its perceived inability to get its messages across to the people. As such they are understandable, though not excusable. It is the lack of information, rather than a surplus of it, that breeds rumour and gives rise to reports based on half-truths and supposition, Davis emphasises.
Her advice to government is to develop a communications strategy so that the press can be better informed about what it is doing and in turn, properly do its job of informing citizens, so they can make rational choices and keep the gardeners accountable.
"The state wields enormous power - more than the sum of that held by those elected to run it. Our own history shows how easily state power becomes a monstrous force, trampling civil liberties. The press should neither forget nor abrogate its responsibility to watch for and criticise its excesses. Democracy - the health of our tree - depends on it."
In order for our democracy to blossom, the media, in the opinion of Barnard Beukman, political journalist for Die Burger, "must expose and prevent. There can be no compromise about the role of the media in a democracy. If the idea of sunshine journalism entails that the media must turn a blind eye to corruption or small transgressions, the red light starts flashing."
Beukman says the basic task elected politicians have is to manage the country’s coffers. "From day one there can be no compromise about the correct and honest execution thereof. The biggest challenge facing our country is how to raise it out of backward poverty. For this we need money, all of which we cannot raise ourselves. There is only one solution, the involvement of the stubborn and choosy international private sector. Therefore we must stick to the rules of the game. Look at the damage that Sarafina II has done us in the European Community. The media cannot be part of the cover up," he warns.
Politicians often criticise the South African press. According to Beukman, "South African politicians suffer from a severe case of Cleopatra Syndrome: She was the one who rewarded the bearer of good news with gold and threw those with bad news to the crocodiles. It isn’t romantic to be a journalist in our fledgling democracy. This is not just an attack on the new state and ANC politicians. The National Party politicians are especially guilty. The more they find they can’t rely on the automatic support of the Afrikaans media and are strongly criticised the more they too want to feed the crocodiles!"
Tim du Plessis also "spares a thought for the beleaguered South African press. From one side it is knocked by the now ruling elite for not accurately reflecting the ‘many positive actions’ of the new government; from the other side it is lambasted by some of the readers, mostly whites, who don’t like the new rulers and who think the press is treating them with kid gloves."
"We don’t want the press to tell us how wonderful this new South Africa is, how important nation building is and what a great man President Mandela is. We don’t want no sunshine journalism," seems to be the message from these readers, speculates Du Plessis
"Of course, not all South African newspapers are ‘guilty’. A few, notably one or two Afrikaans papers and an English financial magazine, are indulging in something that may be termed sunset journalism. They are telling their readers this new South Africa is a total mess, ruled by a bunch of communist idiots who are hell bent on transforming South Africa into just another African basket case," Du Plessis says.
He says it is understandable that they are getting on the nerves of the new rulers. "Not only are we seeing mandarins with itchy fingers, ready to take on the main stream press, but also a tendency to blame the press for things that go wrong."
Prominent members of the press are unanimous in their condemnation of sunshine journalism. The prevailing message appears to be the press’s role as a fourth estate in our democracy is non-negotiable - now or ever. It is essential tabs are kept on the government in the early stage of its development because should ‘cancer’ set in it will be far more difficult to eradicate.
As Dr Willem de Klerk, former editor of Die Transvaler and Rapport, stated "The press is the mirror which reflects what goes on in society...but where the mirror correctly reflects what has been said or done you cannot blame the mirror, if when you look into it, the face you see there is an ugly face."
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