We don’t need such negativity
Reporting on these matters is not easy and sometimes my journalists are put into very difficult situations
Two incidents which played out last weekend, namely one in which a man strangled his dog to death after it bit his child, and the other a fist-fight that broke out at an accident scene, have caused quite a stir on social media.
Reporting on these matters is not easy and sometimes my journalists are put into very difficult situations, all in the name of reporting the truth. Nevertheless, the News reported as objectively as possible on both these incidents, based on actual eye-witness accounts. The journalist who reported on these incidents went to great lengths to ensure that the correct facts were portrayed, but we now find ourselves smack in the middle of a social media onslaught in which we are being accused of sensationalism; being lambasted for allegedly not reporting the ‘full’ truth.
We never divulge how we put an article together because that should be reflected in the reporting, but we genuinely try to cover all the angles and have numerous group discussions before making sensitive information public. That is why it is extremely upsetting to see the negative posts on Facebook about our integrity as a news source, and our alleged lack of humanity.
Many of my associates have said we should not entertain these negative individuals by responding to their posts,but I draw the line when people start questioning our integrity.
We welcome being questioned about our work. We enjoy having mature discussions about it. But we do not appreciate derogatory and sexist remarks made by the public, who are not always in possession of the full facts.
So please take extra care before you voice your negative opinions.
