Why blaming the media misses the point

If ever there was a societal “whipping boy” in the 21st century – the institution to be blamed by charlatans and politicians (is there a difference?) for their misdeeds – then it must be the media.

Even comparatively sane people leap to chastise the media when anything doesn’t go their way, or when their view of the world is challenged.

Many of the people taking aim at the media clearly have no idea that this catch-all term is itself a joke.

What media are you talking about? Newspapers? TV and radio? Social media? Websites? All of those are radically different in the approach they take to disseminating information… and we would hardly class much of the drivel on social media as news.

It’s not surprising – although it is sad, given her experience dealing with the media – that Khusela Diko, chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies, should complain that “the media” does not “faithfully, accurately and impartially” record the achievements of our democratic government over the past 30 years.

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While that does sound like another typical political excuse, she does have a point.

Human nature being what it is, “development” stories don’t catch as many eyeballs as hard news: If it bleeds, it leads as we say in the trade. Yet, the ANC has indeed changed the lives of millions of people for the better.

But pupils are still drowning in pit toilets while the elite quaff their Blue Label in Sandton.

That, Ms Diko, is what we will report on… in the hope it will bring about changes.

Also, politicians of all stripes need to be reminded by the overworked and unappreciated Government Communication and Information System that they are not the story and seeing their well-fed visages at photo opportunities has nothing to do with development.

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