Press Council Announcement
Posted by Administrator on Dec 03 2007 at 12:58 PM
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Press Council announcement

December 3, 2007

The Council also officially launched its new logo and announced that its website would go live this week.

The Council, the Ombudsman and the Appeals Panel are a self-regulatory mechanism set up by the print media to provide impartial, expeditious and cost-effective adjudication to settle disputes between members of the public and newspapers and magazines over the editorial content of publications.

The mechanism is based on two pillars: a commitment to freedom of expression, including freedom of the press, and to excellence in journalistic practice and ethics.

The Council has adopted the South African Press Code to guide journalists in their daily practice of gathering and distributing news and opinion and to guide the Ombudsman and the Appeals Panel to reach decisions on complaints from the public. More than 640 publications, mainly members of Print Media South Africa, subscribe to the Code.

At a Press conference in Johannesburg today, Press Ombudsman Joe Thloloe said he hoped journalists would embrace the Code and live it as it was now easily available. He also hoped the public would be more vigilant about the quality of news and opinion they read in their newspapers and magazines.

In the 18 months between January 2006 and July 2007, the Ombudsman’s office dealt with 268 cases, but Thloloe believes that as the Code and the office become more visible, there might be an initial increase in the number of cases but these should taper off as journalists live up to its demands.

The Code prescribes news that is truthful, accurate and fair and comment that is an expression of opinion without malice or dishonest motive.

The website – www.presscouncil.org.za - takes the complaints process into the cyber world with a form that shoots straight to the Ombudsman’s e-mail address. The existing channels for complaints are still available:

Phone: 011 788 4837 or 011 788 4827

Fax: 011 788 4990

e-mail: pressombudsman@ombudsman.org.za or ombudsman@presscouncil.org.za

The industry believes in self-regulation because it is the only way that the rights of freedom of expression and freedom of the press and other media guaranteed in the Constitution of the Republic can be truly exercised. Any other form of regulation would limit the independence of the press and freedom of expression for the public in general.

What if a reader has a complaint? (Page 7 in booklet)

If you believe a newspaper or magazine has not lived up to the South African Press Code, you may lodge a complaint by letter, fax or e-mail with the Press Ombudsman within 14 days of publication of the relevant story. The Ombudsman’s office will assist those who require help to pen their complaints.

State the name and date of the publication and the reasons you believe it was out of line. It would speed up the process if you also sent us a copy of the article that gave rise to the complaint.

STEP 1. The Ombudsman will informally try and resolve the issue amicably between you and the publication.

STEP 2. If there is no resolution after Step 1, the Ombudsman and two members of the Press Appeals Panel – one a press representative and the other a public representative – will listen to both sides at a formal hearing. Decisions will be by majority vote.

STEP 3. If either party is not satisfied with the decision, it may take the matter on appeal to the chairperson of the Press Appeals Panel, Judge Ralph Zulman, formerly of the Supreme Court of Appeal. The judge also hears the appeal with a public representative and a press representative in the Appeals Panel. There is no appeal beyond this level.

NB:

We will not start the process until you assure us that you will not later take other legal steps against the publication – we don’t want people who pretend to use your self regulation system only to extract the defence of the publication and then try and use the information against them in the courts.

If there is a valid reason for laying the complaint later than the 14 days’ deadline, we will accept it.