Council ombudsman accused of being "inadequate" by the South Africa Communist Party for having media representatives on the panel oversee their own industry
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The Press Council of South Africa has enlisted a task team to carry out a complete review of its constitution following criticisms of its structure and the proposal of an independent Media Appeals Tribunal.
The council's ombudsman was accused of being "inadequate" by the South Africa Communist Party for having media representatives on the panel oversee their own industry. The party supports the African National Congress' proposal of an independent media tribunal to rectify the issue.
But council chairman Raymond Louw defended its structure in a statement published by allAfrica.com , saying those who oversee the media must understand the industry.
"Indeed, the ombudsman is a senior journalist," he says in the statement. "It is an essential requirement for a person adjudicating on the conduct of the media and journalism to be well versed in the methods and practice of journalism and a senior journalist fills that role.
"But there is strong public representation in that office. When the Ombudsman conducts a hearing, he sits with two people, one a journalist and the other a public representative. Indeed, there are six public representatives and six journalists available for hearings by the ombudsman and the Appeals Panel."
In response to the criticisms, the council has now announced a task team of newspaper editors, academic professors, journalists and business people, to review its constitution, press code and complaints procedures.
"This will be a complete review, which means some things will remain the same while others may change depending on whether they contribute towards improving the quality of journalism in this county," Joe Thloloe, the SA Press Ombudsman told Journalism.co.uk.
Suggestions can also be made by the public, both individuals and organisations, through the Ombudsman's office. Findings and recommendations from the team are due to be reported back to the council in November.
Also in South Africa media law, concerns continue to grow over the impact of a proposed Protection of Information Bill, which the Financial Times' chief foreign commentator argued today would be "a major threat to South African democracy" .
