The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) said it was concerned about reports that allege two City Press journalists breached editorial ethics code by attempting to extort money from an individual they were writing about. However, the Forum welcomed an investigation into the matter.
Media24 CEO Ishmet Davidson confirmed that the City Press journalists were suspended while the company established the veracity of the allegations.
TimesLive reported that one of the implicated reporters resigned before his suspension early in September but his resignation was rejected and he was told he would remain an employee for the duration of his notice period. It is not clear what story the pair was working on.
SANEF said should if evidence of editorial breaches are found during the internal investigation, action must be taken without fear or favour.
“Claims of this nature are potentially damaging not only to affected persons but to the industry as a whole.
“For all of us in the media, journalistic integrity is paramount as it sits at the heart of the media’s contribution to building our democracy,” said the Forum.
The Editors’ Forum called for Media24 to be transparent about the outcome of the investigation once it is concluded.
Earlier in 2021, SANEF released a report that examined ethical breaches in South African newsroom, which made suggestions on how to curb unethical conduct.
In an unrelated incident, City Press was in the spotlight last week when the IFP marched to its Ranburg offices over an opinion piece by Editor-in-chief Mondli Makhanya.
The political party was angered by the way Makhanya portrayed its founder, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, in an article titled ‘Hail the mass murderer’.
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa led the march and handed a memorandum to the newspaper and demanded that it be responded to within 14 days.
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