Editor
The media around the world plays a very significant role in addressing problems facing the community – either in the proximity or external.
They alert people about danger, give them relevant information about their surroundings, educate and entertain them.
These people are trained to do this work.
Why it is so important for them to attend our gatherings?
We invite them in order to follow stories, research and report objectively.
The presence of a reporter in our community meetings helps one to be more informed about the event and they write a carefully balanced and accurate report, without being biased. Journalists do not put their opinion into the story but rather leaves it for the reader or listener to decide.
We do not “use our own discretion”, that can be suicidal.
Media under the obnoxious apartheid system
The community did not trust journalists under the previous apartheid regime.
This was due to some people purporting as journalists whilst they were actually police informants or spies.
Nevertheless, we are free today and journalists must not be chased away from our meetings. If one does not want the information to be published, he or she is at liberty to say so rather than telling a person to pack his/her backs.
We fought for freedom of association, freedom of speech and movement.
Therefore, we should not abuse this freedom that people who contributed to haven’t even tasted and yet they have laid down their lives for us.
Media law
Amongst the subjects which journalists are trained for include politics, which sometimes is called development studies or political science, news writing, reporting, mass communication and media law.
Media law helps one to avoid the pitfalls in writing such as defamation of character, innuendo or slander; in writing or audio/speaking.
There is also what we call gate keeping and censorship, which was done during the apartheid system.
Censorship totally denies people the right to know. We have passed that; let’s live together with reporters as they are the watchdogs of the community.
Manzolwandle Hadebe