White journalists’ attack on EFF is personal and racist – EFF MP

Veteran actor and EFF MP Fana Mokoena has targeted white journalists, claiming they treat the Economic Freedom Fighters differently.

Mokoena, in a tweet, has made serious allegations against white journalists claiming they have shown their “political hand when dealing with the EFF”.

“Their attack on the organisation is personal and racist in nature. Glad that even black journalists can see through this.”

Mokoena was referring to an opinion piece in the City Press by Rapule Tabane which suggested there were journalists who could not conceal their bias, especially towards the EFF.

Now that a black journalist has spoken out, I want to reiterate this point. White journalists have shown their political hand when dealing with the EFF. Their attack on the organization is personal and racist in nature. Glad that even black journalists can see through this

— Fana Mokoena (@fanamokoena) December 10, 2018

The report touched on journalist Jacques Pauw’s tweet of Julius Malema’s home address and said it was evident journalists had lost their way when it came to the EFF.

The SA National Editors Forum condemned Pauw’s tweet which resulted in the author taking it down.

Journalist Max du Preez has called for the EFF’s press conferences not to be broadcasted live.

“They should be quarantined until they have been checked for defamatory content and insults,” said Du Preez who, according to the report, believed the EFF was getting too much airtime to slander others.

The report also suggests there was a view that journalists were baited into battle with the red berets.

“This has gone to levels where some journalists actively troll Malema and the EFF on Twitter in an effort to ridicule, mock, and embarrass the party and its members.

“One journalist, in particular, has a propensity to correct their tweets and say: ‘EFF, this is how you should be phrasing your tweet.’”

Tabane also highlights in his report the elevated treatment some writers addressed to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, an example of how journalists currently failed at writing without their own prejudices.

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