Journalists urged not to mislead public as election race heats up

May 6, 2024 34

With less than 25 days to go until Mzansi heads to the May 29th polls, Media Monitoring Africa has urged newsrooms to deliver credible news updates to South Africans.

Speaking on World Press Freedom Day, the Director of the organisation, William Bird, encouraged voters to reflect on the country’s democratic state, and high levels of media freedom that still need to be protected.

Bird says while social media might help in making it easy for people to get information on various parties, not everything they read can be trusted off the cuff.

The South African National Editors’ Forum has also weighed in, calling upon newsrooms to uphold their media code principles before, during, and after the polls.

The forum says world press freedom is important in SA, as the media has played a significant role like upholding its constitutional democracy.

Speaking to YNews, SANEF’s Executive Director, Reggy Moalusi says while press freedom might be is enjoyed in by many in SA, some journalists face challenges like online bulling and harassment.

This year’s World Press Freedom Day was observed under the theme: “A Press for the Planet: Protecting Journalists and Scientists in Defence of the Environment.”

While the plight experienced by reporters across the globe while covering different stories have also come under sharp focus, this year it was observed a week after South Africans commemorated 30 years since the country held its first democratic elections – which marked the official end of the racial segregation and oppression of apartheid.

Written by: Lindiwe Mabena

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