Issued by: Office of the President
21 June 1996
Dr. Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri Chairperson South African Broadcasting Corporation Board Auckland Park 2018
Dear Dr. Casaburri
COVERAGE OF THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET DEBATE
We were surprised to note that the South African Broadcasting Corporation Television News of 20 June 1996 elected to ignore President Nelson Mandela's speech to the National Assembly, which is the second of his two major addresses to the National Assembly every year.
None of the four evening bulletins had a word on the President's Budget Vote. There was also no attempt to correct this massive oversight in the morning news today as is sometimes the case - not that this would compensate for an omission of this magnitude.
In his address to the National Assembly, the President outlined the implications of the new Macroeconomic Strategy - his first major pronouncement on an issue that is of great interest both within South Africa and abroad. The public was therefore denied its right to information by our national public broadcaster. Besides the content of the speech, and without derogating on the public broadcaster's prerogatives, we are of the view that an address of this nature by the Head of State and Government to parliament, presumably the highest body in the land, should be of news value to the national public broadcaster.
The media in the country and even abroad, are treating the Macroeconomic Strategy and the intervention of the President in advocating it as he did in the National Assembly yesterday, as newsworthy, and marking the opening of a new chapter in the reconstruction and development of the country.
Upon enquiry with your news production teams, we were informed that the intention of Television News is to cover the President's closing remarks on Friday after the responses of opposition parties. An examination of the coverage by TV News of the President's Senate Budget Debate on 18 June 1996 shows that the same approach was adopted. The President's speech was not referred to, including the fact that he was probably speaking to the Senate for the last time before its transformation into a Council of Provinces as contained in the provisions of the new constitution. What was reported on were some of his closing remarks - in other words, his response to issues as determined by the agenda of the other parties.
Thus, on these two occasions, an editorial decision was taken, in our view, to breach the principles of factual, accurate and unbiased reporting.
We wish again to reiterate our respect for the independence of the public broadcaster: and do not wish, under any circumstances, to interfere with this independence.
As such, by making the contents of this letter public, we wish to bring discussion on this issue into the public domain, with the hope that such discussion will benefit both the public and its national broadcaster.
Yours sincerely,
(signed) G.J. Gerwel Director-General
cc: Mr. Jay Naidoo - Minister of Telecommunications and Broadcasting Mr. Zwelakhe Sisulu - Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Joe Thloloe - Head, TNP