Outrageous Bias at the SABC

Breaking...

Paula Slier has been placed on a blacklist of journalists no longer suitable for the SABC because they do not want a "white Jewish girl" reporting from the Middle East.

More to follow.

Update at 13:30:

An inquiry has confirmed that the SABC does in fact have a blacklist. News 24 is reporting that SABC head of news Snuki Zikalala has been found in contravention of the broadcaster's own code of conduct for ordering that certain commentators and analysts not to be used on air because of their political views. The inquiry is purported to have found that this order was not "objectively justifiable".

The report states that a direct instruction was given not to use Paula Slier for news reporting because of alleged bias (i.e. because she is Jewish). The inquiry concluded that this was improper and against SABC policy.

If true, this is extremely serious for South Africa as a whole. It goes to the heart of the ANC’s obsession with control and their real commitment to democracy. But from a Jewish perspective, it is also extremely frightening. It smacks of classic anti-Semitism where Jews are barred from involvement in public institutions because of their religious affiliation. Other Jewish employees of the SABC have in the past alluded to this type of anti-Semitic environment. Anti-Zionism has as many claimed it would mutated into traditional anti-Semitism in South Africa.

The South African Jewish community must speak out against this blatant infringement of our human rights. Our continued silence will only allow this hatred to fester.

News24.com have the details here: SABC 'blacklisted commentators'

Johannesburg - The SABC has blacklisted certain commentators and analysts, albeit not officially, an inquiry into claims made earlier this year has found. It determined that AM Live anchor John Perlman was right when he stated that blacklisting of commentators and analysts was happening in practice "by instruction".

Update at 14:30
The Mail & Guardian (yes, I see the irony here) have access to the 78 page report produced by the commission it appointed to probe the blacklist saga.

The M&G reports that the SABC violated the recommendations of the commission by releasing only a sanitised summary of the commission's report.

It appears that the SABC of the old apartheid regime is not too different from today's version.

Commissioners Gilbert Marcus and Zwelakhe Sisulu said that "it would indeed be abhorrent, and at gross variance with the SABC’s mandate and policies, if practices of the old order were being repeated in the new, with the effect of again disqualifying South Africans from democratic discourse and debate. "For this reason, we are firmly of the view that this report should be released to the public after consideration by the board.” The SABC issued a seven-page summary and statement about the ­commission. The commission’s 78-page report, of which the Mail & Guardian has a copy, is damning. It confirms the existence of an arbitrary blacklist of outside commentators who should not be consulted and says there is a climate of fear in the broadcaster’s newsrooms. It is scathing about the arbitrary decision-making, the iron-fist rule and the lack of editorial knowledge of the news and current affairs managing director Snuki Zikalala.

The M&G has a list of verbatim quotes from evidence given to the commission by the SABC news chief Snuki Zikalala. This quote concerns Jewish Middle East reporter Paula Slier.

"From the movement where I come from we support PLO. But she supported what’s happening in Israel. And then I said to them, Paula Slier, we cannot use her on the Middle East issue because we know where she stands. We need somebody who’s impartial.” Earlier, Zikalala sent out the following directive: URGENT NOTE: ALL DESKS The MD of news, Dr Snuki Zikalala has directed that NO MATERIAL OR STORY SUPPLIED BY JOURNALIST PAULA SLIER should be used by SABC news desks until further notice. Dr Zikalala says this instruction applies to all units of SABC news.

Bias? What Bias? Incredible.

This quote once again highlights the problem in South Africa of a power hungry ruling party with intentions of controlling more and more of our lives. A public broadcaster represents the State and not the ANC. Snuki Zikalala ran the SABC news with ANC and not South African interests in mind. We have always complained that the news in South Africa is framed from a Palestinian lens and this provides concrete and incontrovertible proof.

All South Africans of good faith need to demand that the SABC release the full 78 page report.

Note for non-South African readers: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the state broadcaster in South Africa and runs 3 public television stations and a host of radio stations throughout South Africa.

Comments

[Derikboy]

Man! That's pretty bad.
That's like Zimbabwe type bad.

[Jack Bloom]

By contrast, it seems to be compulsory to always have an anti-Zionist Jew to argue against Israel so as to cover against accusations of antisemitism. Actually, I was never enamoured of Paula Slier's reporting - she did her share of Israel's separation "wall" stories. Far better to have a nice objective Christian reporter rather than play a Jewish reporter who usually feels to need to "fit in" with the fashionable anti-Israel line.

[mike]

I actually must agree with Jack Bloom. Her reports from ‘Occupied Palestine’ were not exactly decorated with pretty Zionist imagery. But I really dont think that is the point. Religious affiliation should not be a criteria to determine whether someone is objective or not when reporting about the Israeli-Arab conflict. Its like saying no Blacks should be allowed to report on the situation in Zimbabwe because they are biased. Its an innately racist position.

Jack Bloom also raises the issue of self-censorship. The commission report actually mentions this as a problem in SABC. How many times to Jews in public positions take anti-Jewish roles in order to overcompensate fro their religious affiliation? South Africa’s intelligentsia have made it extremely clear in the last few years that the only good Jew is one of the Kasrils’ variety. And even they are problematic when they don’t toe the line (take Kasrils and the Rashid Khalid affair).

[Anna]

Guys I am laughing at your comments – you are blind to the basic things – I do see it because I’m too far and have no idea of SA reality…
Just take a look at what Mr. Z said from the logical point of view – and all the rest will just disappear:

Mr. Z supports “A”, that’s why he does not like Miss. P, she MAY be supporting “B”, and that is not objective…

He starts from saying that he DOES supports “A” – and finds it fully OK! E.g. he is objective?!?!?

What else do you need to say?

[Anna]

Personaly on Paula, I can tell you from seing all the time her reports from Israel, which you guys have no opportunity to see - she is the most tollerant and objective corespondent I've seen in my life! And probably that is why both muslim and jewish communities are not happy with her! Truth is always in the middle!

[Steve]

Anna you spot on with your comment about Zikalaka. He openly admits bias uses his bias as the reference point for what is impartial. Hopefully he will be kicked out though I doubt things will get that far.

I must say that hearing that Paula will be reporting on a situation from the Middle East on 702 has always been like a breath of fresh air for me because (and especially during the recent crises) she really did take impartial viewpoints. I think her reporting was of a high quality.

But that is the scary thing. She really was impartial but that wasnt good enough for the ANC.

[Steve]

Sorry - meant to say that wasnt enough for Zikalala's SABC. Which really means ANC anyways.

[Anti-UN]

Problems with Snuki Zikalala have been mentioned for years now. It seems like nothing will happen though and everything will continue the same.

[Brett]

It's pretty frightening stuff all of this. It smacks of a very definite move towards anti-Israel sentiment, surprise surprise, and growing anti-semitism. Thankfully Jews are on their toes and if need be, they won't stick around for the inevitable demise of democracy.