DEAR Editor,-
Butthead’s ‘Pools of the trade’ raises questions about real-life pulls in the media trade that define its relations with society and municipality.
1) Is the media an extension of the municipality? Bevis Fairbrother arguably refers to the pull from some community members who call the Herald as if it is an extension of the municipality. Fairbrother’s response is apt as the media is not an extension of the municipality.
2) Should the media be seen as a representative of the public? The calls to the Herald and the unanswered calls to the Ugu hotline reveal a social distance between ward councillors and residents and an operational deficit by workers employed to be responsive municipal workers.
The Herald, and media generally, must resist being coaxed into unwittingly becoming substitute and non-elected public representatives.
Elected councillors must represent, paid civil servants must serve, communities must hold leaders accountable and the media must report impartially. The National Development Plan enjoins all to build activist local democracy and contribute a capable and accountable local state.
3) Is the media a watchdog over the municipality? This question arises from Fairbrother’s declaration that: “We will keep plugging away on your behalf if the promise proves to be hollow.” Does this mean that the Herald will usurp or supplement the role of opposition parties in local councils? If so, the line between unbiased and oppositional media gets ethically blurry. If not, the media must expose the lethargy of local opposition politics as much as it does exposing unfulfilled promises by local municipalities.
This is crucial because in an unequal society, unequal access to media may reproduce selected and unrepresentative views about the impact of local government in peoples’ lives.
Let’s use the media wisely and be mindful of its limits.
NDABA MZELEMU
Ward 23, Bhobhoyi
* BUTTHEAD BITES BACK (Sorry Bevis, couldn’t resist!)*
DEAR Ndaba,
I hope you don’t mind me calling you by your first name, but I think we are onto a good thing here.
Healthy debate can only be helpful in this country and I detect from your letters that you agree. There is a common misconception that the media in general is biased in favour of opposition political parties. I can’t speak for other newspapers, but nothing is further from the truth when it comes to the Herald.
The only reason that local government often comes in for stick is because they are responsible for the services that we should all enjoy. No matter which political party has its hand on the joystick, they will always come in for a pounding if ratepayers/citizens feel aggrieved.
‘Name and shame’ is sometimes their only recourse. A non-functioning Ugu complaints line is a case in point, although that is now hopefully a thing of the past.
The ‘Fourth Estate’ (media) has always been regarded as a powerful force for the common people. (Now there is a ‘Fifth Estate’ – social media which nobody really has much control over and that can be quite dangerous.)
Ndaba, you are absolutely right. Unfortunately, we still live in a very unequal society and it’s like walking on eggs trying to be fair to all concerned. But we won’t give up trying and we also need to be reminded of our responsibilities and even failings by wise contributors like yourself.
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