Press ombud says editors are eagerly embracing self-regulation system
Newsrooms are seeking guidance on the press code more than ever and editors’ co-operation with the system of self-regulation is "excellent", says press ombud Johan Retief. For several years, the ANC has been pushing for the establishment of a media appeals tribunal, arguing that self-regulation is not enough to hold the media accountable. This has been seen by the media industry as a direct attack on media freedom. In December, ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu, who also chairs the party subcommittee on communications, said MPs had been instructed during the party’s national conference to establish an inquiry to consider new ways to regulate the media. Providing an update on the work done by his office and others, including the Press Council of SA in the first four months of 2018, Retief said that newsrooms were seeking guidance on the press code more than ever, and editors were eager to co-operate with the system of self-regulation. He also said courses in media ethics were now readil...
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