President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday praised the work done by the South African media during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, six months since the National State of Disaster was proclaimed.

In his weekly address to the nation Ramaphosa said countries with strong institutions, vigilant judicial systems and a robust media have been able to prevent human rights from being undermined and the authority of the State being abused.

He said more journalists were needed and urged society to support the industry.

He said despite the unprecedented nature of Covid-19 and the immense challenge of placing 58-million people under lockdown, government had fared well.  

“This is in no small part due to the sterling work of our media. We owe a debt of gratitude to South Africa’s hardworking and tenacious journalists. They have kept our people informed by disseminating key health messages about social distancing and hygiene. They have done so under extremely trying conditions, often with limited resources,” said Ramaphosa.                                                 

He said the media had shone a light on the effects of the national lockdown on the lives of people and their businesses, while drawing national attention to problems in hospitals and clinics, prompting government action.

Ramaphosa said the media has fulfilled their watchdog role by exposing corruption and maladministration and sparking national debate that had led to a number of high-profile investigations.

However, Ramaphosa expressed concern at the impact of the virus on various media houses. 

He added that the job losses that had resulted from the lockdowns had exacerbated a crisis for media companies already facing challenges like loss of advertising revenues, falling circulation and market share being taken by mobile-first news and other technologies.

Some publications lost as much as 60% of their income in the early days of the lockdown.

“A number of companies have had to implement salary cuts, reduce staff numbers or reduce hours worked. Regrettably, some publications have even been forced to close, among them some of South Africa’s most established and well-known magazine titles,” he added.

Following a meeting with the South African National Editors’ Forum last week, Ramaphosa revealed that the media industry was working hard to refine business models, to drive innovation and to retain staff as much as possible.

“We need our media veterans, who bring with them vast experience and institutional memory, and are able to offer critical reportage and informed analysis. At the same time, we need more young journalists in the profession who are tech-savvy, abreast with new trends in storytelling and in touch with the concerns of a youthful population,” he said.

While government will continue to extend advertising spend to publications and broadcasters, especially community media, Ramaphosa encouraged the private sector to also continue to support the industry through advertising and working with media houses in the production of innovative content in line with global media trends.

“As we begin the great task of rebuilding our economy in the aftermath of the pandemic, the media industry will need our support more than ever. The free press was once described as ‘the unsleeping guardian of every other right that free men and women prize’. As we salute their role in this pandemic, let us do what we can to ensure that the free and diverse media in our country is able to survive and thrive,” he said.