DA - PARANOID AND ATTENTION SEEKING
We are quiet mindful that to celebrate 100 years is an occasion that many political parties including the DA can only wish for. Though some whining is always expected from this reactionary party that lives to fight back our democratic gains and daily pray and wish for the ANC disappearance, it is unimaginable that in its desperate stupor and paranoia the DA would stoop so low as to create and spread lies and misinformation that the ANC wants to shut down free press.
The ANC throughout its history has fought for free press and continues to fight for free and developmental media. We do have our occasional differences with the press but those differences have never once amounted to a desire on our part, implicitly or explicitly, to shut down the press. It is figments of imaginations of active paranoid minds of the DA and of Helen Zille in particular to create and spread such blatant lies that serves nothing but to expose the DA for what it is, a desperate white party that can only strive in conditions of fear and swaart gevaar.
It is more shocking and disturbing that Helen Zille, a former journalist, cannot draw a distinction between an advertorial and editorial policy (see DA leader's statement). We all know that newspapers cannot survive only through selling the news but supplement their income through commercially selling spaces in the newspaper for advertisement. We all know except the DA and Helen Zille that the commercial arm of any press has no bearing on the news content and editorial. This is how we always look at the DA advertisements in the newspapers, as adverts - simple like that! It would be fool hardy of Helen Zille and DA to think they are buying favorable news coverage when they advertise in the press.
As the ANC, we are under no illusion that the carrying of our advertorials by Independent Newspapers would influence its editorial independence, safe for us to reach the Independent Newspapers readers which are also our target audience.
At best the DA and Helen Zille should have simple ignored the letter calling on it to advertise on the ANC Centenary special feature and went on its merry way. We are certain that the Press Ombudsman would find DA complaint paranoid, childish and attention seeking.
Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC National Spokesperson, December 8 2011
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