Journalist Paula Slier (pictured) and others in South Africa question how proper it is for Jewish groups to cut deals with media services for fair coverage.
Slier was responding to a deal between the South African Jewish Board of Deputies and the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
It’s Almost Supernatural summed up her points:
• ‘Objective, fair, precise, accurate journalism is not something to be bargained for.’
• ‘This issue was never just about me or the other journalists who were blacklisted; it was about the very real threat to our country’s democracy and our rights to freedom of speech which are being marred by a national broadcaster that has become the mouthpiece of the government’.
• ‘The actions of the Board speak volumes about how they view the status of minorities in South Africa. Are we too frightened to speak out?’
Slier’s coverage of Yasser Arafat led her to be blacklisted by SABC director Dr. Snuki Zikalala, who wanted journalism more supportive of the PLO. The blacklist earned Dr. Zikalala HonestReporting’s Worst News Executive Award.
