FREE DAILY EMAIL

Sout h African editors have pledged themselves to improve coverage of gender issues and have also called for the withdrawal of the Anti-Terrorism Bill currently before parliament.

At their annual conference in Durban this weekend, almost 60 journalism executives organised under the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) said they recognised that women were under-represented in the media, despite being the majority of the population.

Sanef resolved to facilitate countrywide workshops on improving the coverage of gender issues.

The Sanef meeting also said the Anti-Terrorism bill before parliament was "a serious threat to media freedom, because the legislation could be used against journalists".

For the first time, the Nat Nakasa Award for Courageous Journalism, was held at the annual meeting of Sanef. Winner was Chief Photographer at The Star, Debbie Yazbek, and special mention went to David MacFarlane of the Mail and Guardian.

The award is jointly offered by Sanef, the Print Media Association of South Africa and the organisers of the Nieman Fellowship in South Africa.

The conference also mandated outgoing chair Mathatha Tsedu, editor of the Sunday Times, and editorial executive Liz Barratt from The Star, to take forward Sanef's role in developing a pan-African editors forum. The project builds upon an interim organisation set up at the "All-Africa Editors Conference" convened by Sanef in Johannesburg in April.

The conference also debated President Thabo Mbeki's call for media workers to be Africans first and journalists second.

Leading the discussion were E-Tv editor Joe Thloloe and Mondli Makhanya editor of the Mail and Guardian.

In other decisions, Sanef encouraged its members to develop education and training networks throughout the country, and to develop plans to improve communication with provincial governments ahead of next year's elections.

The forum elected Henry Jeffreys, deputy editor of Beeld, as the new chair of the organisation.

Rhodes University journalism professor Guy Berger was re-elected as deputy chair, and Kaya FM's news manager Portia Kobue as secretary general.

Amina Frense of SABC was re-elected as treasurer.

Council members: Henry Jeffreys, chair, (Deputy Editor, Beeld) Prof Guy Berger, deputy chair (Head of Journalism and Media Studies department, Rhodes University) Portia Kobue, secretary general (News manager, Kaya FM) Amina Frense, treasurer, (SABC Training Editor, SABC) Hopewell Radebe, Gauteng regional convenor (Chief Political Correspondent, Business Day) Babs Abba Omar, Western Cape regional convenor (Editor in Chief, Independent Online) James Barkhuizen, Central regional convenor (regional editor, SABC Free State).

Also Gavin Stewart, East Cape regional convenor (Editor, Daily Dispatch) Mary Papayya, KZN regional convenor, (independent media trainer) Mondli Makhanya, Media freedom subcommittee convenor (Editor, Mail and Guardian) Moegsien Williams, Corrective action subcommittee convenor, (Editor, The Star) Paddi Clay, Education and training subcommittee, (Training and Development Co-ordinator, Johnnic).

Mathatha Tsedu, chair of the African Editors Forum, (Editor, Sunday Times) Liz Barratt, African Editors Forum project, (Executive Editor, The Star) Judy Sandison, (Editor, Special News Services, SABC).

Lizette Rabe, (Head of Journalism, University of Stellenbosch) Joe Thloloe, (Head of news, E-TV) Jovial Rantao, (Editor, Sunday Independent) Pippa Green, (Editor, Radio News, SABC) Stephen Wrottesley, (Chief of Staff, Independent Newspapers Cape). – Sapa.

SPONSORED BY

Advanced