Journalists under heavy fire

IT’S been a tough week for journalists in South Africa and Africa this week, bringing in to sharp focus issues of censorship, freedom of the media, and the safety of reporters.

At the start of the week journalists came under violent attack while reporting on riots, looting and unrest in Tshwane. Journalists from Power FM, eNCA, SABC, News 24, Eyewitness News and AFP were intimidated – some robbed and assaulted.

Journalists in Tshwane were prevented from recording the protest, and forced to delete footage amid threats the police would “deal with them” if they failed to comply.

The SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) said in a statement yesterday it was deeply concerned at the levels of intimidation journalists faced while attempting to cover the protests in Tshwane. .

Sanef appealed to President Jacob Zuma to make urgent representation to the Egyptian government to intervene in the recent trial of six people on charges of espionage, and to abrogate the death sentences imposed on three journalists tried in absentia.

The journalists are former director of news at Al Jazeera’s Arabic channel, Ibrahim Mohammed Helal; former Al Jazeera producer Alaa Omar Mohammed Sablan and Asmaa Mohammed al- Khatib, with Rasd media channel.

The week ended with Sanef expressing “shock at the sus- pension of three senior SABC journalists for disagreeing with an instruction during a diary conference not to cover the Right2Know (R2K) campaign’s protest against censorship at the public broadcaster”.

The three are economics editor Thandeka Gqubule, RSG executive producer Foeta Krige, and senior journalist Suna Venter.

Right2Know media freedom and diversity organiser Micah Reddy also condemned the attacks.

“In South Africa, journalists operate under tough conditions ... they have a duty to cover these often sensitive issues, and whether the intimidation comes from the police or members of the public, it is deplorable,” Reddy said.