NATIONAL NEWS - In an ever-changing media landscape, it can be very challenging for media organisations to move with the times and still do their work.
The Press Council of South Africa, however, has managed to acknowledge these changes and revamp their procedures allowing for much more public participation. Current Ombuds Johan Retief explains their mandate:
“The Press Council has established a voluntary, independent co-regulatory system involving representatives of print and online media, as well as representatives of the public. Our main aim is to deal with complaints from the public, and to develop and promote ethical practice in journalism through a Code of Ethics and Conduct.”
He says that promoting freedom of expression remains central to their mission but within the boundaries that the media’s accountability and responsibility entail.
The role of the Ombuds then becomes quite an important one in ensuring that this ethos is upheld. The recently advertised vacancy for an Ombuds outlines the need for someone who possesses an in-depth knowledge of the role of the media in a democratic society in general. This includes knowledge of the Press Code in particular, in order to maintain the confidence of both the industry and the public in the credibility and authority of the office.
“The main objective of the Press Ombud should not only be to be fair, balanced and consistent, but also to be seen as such. Perceptions are very real realities in this job, and the Ombud should do everything in her / his power to maintain the trust of both the public and the media,” says Retief.
“In a very real sense, the Ombud’s job is to protect the public from the media (in cases where complaints are valid), as well as to protect the media from the public (where complaints are invalid).”
Retief, who announced his resignation last month, knows the challenges of the job first hand. He will leave the organisation early in 2019 due to personal reasons.
“When I started as Deputy Ombud some nine years ago, there was a huge backlog as far as complaints were concerned. My first priority was to get rid of that backlog and then to adjudicate complaints as they landed on my desk as soon as was humanly possible – without backing down on the quality of my work. In that process, I had to acquire and maintain the trust of both the media and the public,” says Retief around the challenges of his job.
The environment the new Ombuds will be tackling certainly sounds challenging but exciting with the new developments that have been happening. ”Council is going to embark on an outreach programme, in addition to its normal work. The idea is to educate journalists, PR companies and spokespeople with regards to the Press Code and our complaints procedures,” says Retief.
Their latest endeavour was a workshop held in Polokwane, where more than 70 people attended. Retief says they are also planning a series of workshops in the other provinces next year, working closely with the SA National Editors’ Forum and the Association of Independent Publishers.
