by Thinus Ferreira
eNCA (DStv 403) on Tuesday apologised for its editorial slant of speculative on-air commentary that the TV news channel did in a similar approach to America's FOX News channel - this time from co-anchors Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton - who slammed president Cyril Ramaphosa and minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, saying Ramaphosa has been "publicly emasculated", the public "duped" and South Africa becoming "a police state under the renegade ministers".
On Monday morning on eNCA, Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton, back from coronavirus self-quarantine, launched into an opinion-laced on-air tirade against South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma at the beginning of the 7:00 hour.
The eNCA on-air comments came without warning or being qualifying as editorial for viewers.
eNCA made use of unproven statements building a narrative for which there is no substantiating facts, as well as firing off rhetorical questions hanging in the air - exactly similar in style to how opinion hosts on the FOX News channel in the United States do their commentary-laced shows.
According to South Africa's Broadcasting Code of Conduct, pay-TV channels like eNCA "must report news truthfully, accurately and fairly" and news "must be presented in the correct context and in a fair manner, without intentional or negligent departure from the facts, whether by distortion, exaggeration or misrepresentation, material omissions or summarisation".
The Code states that "Comment must be an honest expression of opinion and must be presented in such manner that it appears clearly to be comment, and must be made on facts truly stated or fairly indicated and referred to".
On Monday morning Jane Dutton on eNCA started the broadcast hour, saying: ""A reminder of who's controlling South Africa's narrative right now - not the president but minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. How? She used her power and considerable influence to ensure the ban on cigarettes would continue".
"Why did she do that? Is it because the president is popular right now? Or is it a reminder that the party politics at Luthuli House, the rivalry there, is still very much at play?" editorialised Xoli Mngambi.
Jane Dutton suggested that "While Cyril Ramaphosa has been publicly emasculated, we the public have been duped. How can you discard what the president said just because 2 000 people were against it? And how many more people wanted the sales ban lifted?
In her on-air rant Jane Dutton said "It's the same warped throught-process behind the limited exercise-regime".
Xoli Mngambi opined that "There are fears we are becoming a police state under the control of the renegate ministers and our security forces - bullying at the top and bullying at the bottom. The president now needs to take back that power."
"Can he?" Jane Dutton wondered aloud. "This is a tipping point." She had more rhetorical questions: "If he can't deal with something like this, how will he overcome the economic challenges and lead the country out of this turbulent period?" she wondered.
Behind-the-scenes something happened at eMedia Investments' Hyde Park eNCA newsroom because Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton tried to walk back their on-air rhetoric a day later.
On Tuesday morning eNCA said that Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton is apologising for their comments after the on-air news presenters "made an unfortunate judgment call on president Cyril Ramaphosa and cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma around the debacle on the cigarette ban.
In their eNCA on-air mea cupla Jane Dutton said "yesterday we made a rather unfortunate judgment on the president and the cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma".
"Singling her out on the decision if it were her own was unfair and unwarranted - especially after Cyril Ramaphosa had provided clarity on the matter."
Xoli Mngambi climed in, saying: "As is practice here at eNCA we as news anchors are allowed to make commentary on any matter of national importance and this is done purely to encourage debate. It is not done out of malice or to personalise attacks on a particular leader."
"We've earned your trust and we're not about to disappoint you now at a time when the president and his team are leading us through one of the most difficult times of our country. Again, we apologise unreservedly to you, Mister President, you minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and indeed the nation," Xoli Mngambi told viewers.
e.tv didn't immediately respond to a media enquiry made Tuesday morning asking about the eNCA editorial on-air attack, it's apparent move away from purely fact-driven content and why the channel appears is have started emulating the FOX News-style of opinion-infused comment on news.
eNCA's response will be added here if received.
As the viewership of rival TV news channels like SABC News and Newzroom Afrika - which just celebrated its first anniversary continue to grow - eNCA which is retains it lead and is still the most watched TV news channel in South Africa has lost trust and credibility after behind-the-scenes newsroom management scandals and mistakes.
