Again caught broadcasting fake news, the ANN7 (DStv 405) channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform has been forced to apologise to Derek Hanekom following a complaint regarding false and damaging allegations made on ANN7 that was upheld by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA).
ANN7 has been forced to apologise to South Africa's former minister of tourism, Derek Hanekom, who lodged a complaint after ANN7 broadcast false and defamatory statements about him during a panel discussion with Sindy Mabe on 11 August.
Bruce Mkhize, MultiChoice's regulatory compliance officer, Manti Seleka, MultiChoice's complaints and compliance officer, as well as Moegsien Williams, ANN7 consulting editor and Edwin Kagaswe, ANN7 asignment editor had to explain to the BCCSA why fake trash news was once again aired on ANN7.
It comes after Udo Froese falsely claimed that president Nelson Mandela in 1996 allegedly said that Derek Hanekom was an apartheid agent.
Derek Hanekom told the BCCSA that DStv "has contravened the BCCSA's Code of Conduct by allowing 'news' or comment to be broadcast on ANN7 that was untruthful and unfair".
Presenter Sindy Mabe did nothing to interject or take issue with Udo Froese's fake statements on ANN7.
MultiChoice and ANN7 told the BCCSA that it "unreservedly apologises to Derek Hanekom for the harm suffered and hereby unconditionally retract the comment by Udo Froese".
The apology and retraction was also ordered to be broadcast on ANN7 at the start of the 19:00 news bulletin on 29 and 30 September and in the bottom-third news scroll.
MultiChoice said it "also advised ANN 7 news anchors to, in future, intervene and probe further whenever a statement that is potentially harmful is stated as a fact by a studio guest".
