In the interests of all citizens, we tell this story

IN February, a series of e-mail entreaties arrived at the Sunday Times. They were from Belinda Walter and Johann van Loggerenberg, respectively, asking that their romantic relationship be respected and kept out of the public domain.

In his letter, Van Loggerenberg spoke of his burgeoning relationship with Walter, saying that in showing an interest in his private life, we would make something “tender appear sleazy”.

At the same time, Walter placed pressure on our journalist, Malcolm Rees, demanding that we return documents that she had willingly given to us.

Now, five months later, the relationship has come to an end, but it is clear from the accompanying article that it holds broader implications for Van Loggerenberg, and for SARS as a whole. Not only is he embroiled in a legal tussle with Walter, but he insists that she now forms part of a broader conspiracy to oust him from SARS.

This is no rare coincidence — that people who are the subject of articles often attempt to persuade a journalist to ignore or kill a story.

But what was extraordinary was the response from Van Loggerenberg’s employer.

Rees had sent questions to SARS spokesman Adrian Lackay, who had ignored them.

On Friday, I called and was told that “they” do not trust Rees and that they suspect him of being used by parties bent on destroying Van Loggerenberg. No proof of this was offered — just a repeated allegation.

If we published a story about him and Walter and the fallout that is currently playing out, then it would damage SARS’s relationship with the Sunday Times, said Lackay.

In the course of doing their jobs, our journalists receive sensitive information — the higher the stakes, the more explosive the material. This is all too common not only at the Sunday Times, but at news organisations across the globe. There will always be individuals, driven by private and organisational interests, who peddle information.

We are constantly asked to weigh up the merits of this information and, if it is found wanting, we discard it.

Initially — and this is the reason we did not publish details of Van Loggerenberg’s relationship with Walter — the affair was private. However, it can no longer be deemed such, as our lead story demonstrates.

Is this story in our readers’ interests, given the significant space that SARS occupies in South Africa? Yes, it is.

This is why we publish the story today — not because we have been “played”.—