“The relationship between government and the media in any democracy is underpinned and marked by healthy tensions,” Ramaphosa said at a meeting with the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) in Pretoria.
This engagement, which is long overdue, will enable a frank and robust discussion on the challenges and opportunities that shape the country and drive the public discourse, Ramaphosa said.
“During these engagements, we are permitted to ask penetrating and difficult questions of ourselves and each other,” he said.
The relationship between the government and the media has improved and become more constructive, said Ramaphosa.
The government, he said, strives to establish constructive partnerships with stakeholders across all sectors of the society.
Such partnerships underpinned by dialogue and the joint actions that result from them, help the country move forward, said Ramaphosa.
He said politicians, journalists and editors are custodians of the democracy, of development, of justice and equality.
He said the government was committed to a free and thriving media that should scrutinize the actions and policies of government with the ability and balance to commend success and highlight shortcomings.
At the meeting, the SANEF assured the government of the media’s commitment to the success of South Africa and the country’s status and development as a constitutional democracy.
In its presentation, the SANEF identified critical issues within the South African media sector. These included declining revenues and profits, resulting in cost-cutting, restructuring, jobs and skills losses.
The SANEF welcomed President Jacob Zuma’s stated assurances that hearings will take into account constitutional provisions on free speech and free media.
The government and SANEF agreed on the importance of maintaining healthy relations between government and the media to ensure that South Africans are fully informed and engaged as active participants in the country’s development, while the government is also held accountable.
The relationship between the government and the media has remained tense, with the former criticizing the latter for “bad publicity” about the country.
Zuma once hit out at the media for always reporting the negative while neglecting the positive.
The media has been concentrating on “opposite of the positive,” Zuma said.
Too much negative reporting makes people dislike their country, Zuma noted.
The media has been critical of the government, accusing it of trying to impose the Secrecy Bill, a highly controversial piece of proposed legislation which aims to regulate the classification, protection and dissemination of state information, weighing state interests up against transparency and freedom of expression. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
