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ActionSA welcomes the ruling by the Press Council against the publication of a dodgy anonymous poll by Rapport which withheld the provenance of an electoral poll published on 10 March 2024. The article was syndicated to City Press and News24 on the same day. 

This is the 1st victory in a long road to the regulation of the polling industry that is necessary to protect our young democracy from abuses that impact upon the free expression of voter choice. 

The Press Council found that the withholding of the origin of the poll amounted to a breach of Section 1(2) of the Press Code by omitting material information that South Africans were entitled to know. The fact that this poll is believed to have been produced by the DA is highly relevant given how its outcomes appear favourable almost exclusively to the DA. 

The Press Council has ordered that the media outlets cited are, amongst other things, “directed to add a prominent statement about the responsible organisation, indicating whether it is fully independent or has any direct stake in the upcoming election, as party or otherwise.” 

The ruling of the Press Council is provided below: 

“Ruling:

1.    I find that Rapport breached clause 1.2 of the Press Code by omitting material information on the provenance of the poll. 

2.    Accordingly, the publishers, being Rapport, in print and online on Netwerk24, and City Press in print and online on News24, are directed to add a prominent statement about the responsible organisation, indicating whether it is fully independent or has any direct stake in the upcoming election, as party or otherwise. 

3.    The addition should be clearly linked to a note at the foot of the online report, which includes “Correction” in the headline and explains the reason for the change. The note should make it clear it is in line with a ruling by the Deputy Press Ombud, Franz Krüger, after a complaint lodged by ActionSA, and link to the full text of this ruling on the PCSA website. 

4.    Similar notes should be published in the next edition of both Rapport and City Press. 

5.    The publication is to provide the draft notes for print and online (in Afrikaans and English) for approval by the Deputy Press Ombud before publication.”

The fact that this will be the Press Council has directed that the veil be lifted on an anonymous poll, and for the publishers to reveal if the origins of that poll are politically invested in the outcome of this election, is a major victory. The ruling reflects an increasing recognition of the influence of polling, and the relative depiction of political growth and decline, as was recently conveyed by the South African National Editors Forum. 

ActionSA will await with anticipation the publication of the information of the provenance of the poll published. Elections will suffer in their credibility if South Africans are influenced by polls without being granted the information pertaining to their origins, not least of which if those origins are a political party with a vested interest in the outcome of elections.

ActionSA harbours no ill-will towards the media outlets concerned or the journalist in question and, notwithstanding the finding against their judgement, casts no aspersions on their intentions. The media play a pivotal role in our electoral democracy and ActionSA’s complaint sought to protect rather than undermine this important principle. 

Issued by ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont