ANC WELCOMES THE PRESS OMBUDSMAN FINDINGS

The African National Congress (ANC) welcomes the findings by the Press Ombudsman that City Press has breached the Press Code in an August 16, 2009 article titled "Phosa tries to muzzle City Press."

The ANC feels vindicated by the outcome of the enquiry. It has always been our view as the ANC that we were treated unfairly by this piece of journalism. 

Our long held view is that the usage of unknown sources cannot be relied upon because it is short of accuracy, it is potentially damaging, defamatory and could violate someone's dignity. 

We welcome this outcome because it is in keeping with our belief that individuals must also be protected from unnecessary and unwarranted harm by the media.

As the ANC, we still believe that the media as one of the oldest and most important institution in our democracy; must be in the hands of responsible individuals who are committed to the principles of objectivity, fairness and balanced reporting.

Media freedom and independence; its values and principles, must always be upheld by those who claim to be its proponent and custodians.

We believe that this turn of event will go a long way to assist the media fraternity to respect and protect this important fundamental human right, the right to inherent dignity and the right to have one's dignity respected and protected.

We therefore await the apology from the City Press as directed by the Press Ombudsman with the conditions as prescribed.

Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC National Spokesperson, August 5 2010

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter