The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) commission of inquiry into the ethical challenges facing South African journalism will be the centre of much debate this World Press Freedom Day. The purpose of the inquiry was to look at possibilities of ethical lapses within the industry and to find solutions to enhance quality, ethical journalism.
An independent panel headed by retired judge Kathleen Satchwell was appointed by Sanef. The inquiry came up with 69 recommendations which are now being debated and a five-year ethics rollout plan is being drafted, which has the potential to make some concrete differences in a number of areas, including media freedom, media diversity, sustainability, strengthening the regulators, safety of journalists and strengthening journalism education.
The Sanef hosts the second of four webinars aimed at promoting media ethics, today (April 23). These webinars – which will culminate in an online ethics conference on May 15 – give participants the opportunity to help shape the journalism ethics recommendations that will be discussed at the conference.
Read more and register here: Platforms for journalists to make their voices heard
“The Sanef ethics conference planned for May 15 will bring together journalists from across the country, civil society and other role players to develop a clear plan to implement the report’s recommendations,” says Sanef secretary-general Mahlatse Mahlase.
She says journalists need to strengthen the bond of trust with the public, which can only be done by openly confronting what is wrong and correcting it.
Contact Sanef at 079 029 7656/083 582 1734, visit www.sanef.org.za or email sanef@sanef.org.za
