Tribute to Allister Sparks
Born: March 10 1933 Died: September 19 2016
THE passing of Allister Sparks leaves a void in South African journalism.
Sparks promoted robust discussion of critical issues of the day and we often found ourselves on different sides of the argument, particularly in recent years.
He shared our concern for consolidating and defending democratic institutions and spaces of freedom of information and expression, but we differed particularly on his approach to economic policy and democratisation. But that was part of a healthy expression of differences to which he dedicated his career.
He was an ally of the democratic movement’s efforts to find a voice in the dark days of apartheid repression and in attempts to open up and democratise the media space during the transition to democracy.
Apart from his well known work in exposing the excesses of a criminal regime, he worked with mass organisations, including the trade union movement, in two important areas.
Firstly, he supported our campaign for the democratisation of the SABC. The Campaign for Independent Broadcasting sought to make the SABC the first democratised institution in the run up to the democratic elections, to open up the airwaves and give ordinary people a voice. It sought to transform the SABC from being an apartheid state organ to a public broadcaster which reflected a plurality of views and social experiences.
Sparks was part of a group of journalists who supported our organisations which led to the appointment of the first representative board of the SABC. He himself became a member of the SABC board and was one of those who locked horns with those who he saw as attempting to reverse the democratic gains so many had fought for.
Secondly, as the founder of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, he assisted in training media people and the leadership of the democratic movement, including the trade unions, in the use of print and broadcast media.
Many of our leaders participated in the courses he organised, including myself. I will always remember how he interrogated us in mock TV interviews, gave us tips and tricks on how to look presentable, get our points across and how best to deal with hostile interviewers, without losing our cool.
While we vigorously defend the rights of journalists like Sparks to differ with us on politics, economic theory and ideology, we will always remember and be thankful for the role that he and his colleagues played in ushering in democracy.