Senior executives of the eNCA (DStv 403) TV news channel met with representatives of the ANC political party in South Africa today, with eNCA that says the news media outlet will "continue to ask tough and interrogative questions of all political parties in this election period" and that eNCA won't "put up with verbal abuse or bullying from any politician".
The meeting comes after Jessie Duarte, the deputy secretary-general of the ANC, on Tuesday unleashed a verbal assault on the eNCA political reporter Samkele Maseko at a press briefing, that instantly made headlines for her ugly rant at eNCA after telling SABC News (DStv 404) to switch their camera off and which they refused to do.
Jessie Duarte in her tirade criticised Samkele Maseko for trying to "defend freedom of speech you've never fought for".
"Mr Samkele, you have a habit of intimidating everybody, you have a habit of making people feel that you are the lord of the media, you are one journalist, you work for one eNCA and you think all of us must shiver and shake," said a finger-waving Jessie Duarte.
"You call me a bully but you are the worst bully I've ever come across. I've never met anyone as arrogantly disposed as you are and you want to defend freedom of speech you've never fought for."
"And you don't defend freedom of speech because your particular TV station has decided the direction it will go on as it did in 2016 you followed the DA slogan of 'vote for change'."
"So what do you want us to do? To bow and scrape every time you walk into a room and call you my lord, the lord of the media? You are just a journalist just as I am just a citizen, nothing more, nothing less. Yes, this is personal," said Jessie Duarte.
In today's meeting between eNCA and the ANC, eNCA told the political party that the eMedia Investments TV news channel "would not put up with verbal abuse or bullying from any politician".
eNCA says it reminded the ANC of the "rules of engagement" between the media and political parties as prescribed by the Electoral Code of Conduct "which allows for reporters to question politicians on any issues without fear of intimidation"
Jeremy Maggs, eNCA editor-in-chief, in a press statement late on Wednesday said that "After a frank and robust discussion, the channel welcomes the ANC's commitment to media freedom and it agreeing to move on from the incident".
"We also appreciate the ANC's concern that journalists should be allowed to operate unhindered and without fear in the field as well as the party's acknowledgement that it is the undisputed right of the media to ask tough questions".
Jeremy Maggs says "clarification was also given to the ANC that there was no later editing of the live 8-minute interview to show an anti-ANC bias".
"The ANC was told claims by Jessie Duarte that the channel's 2016 election payoff-line urging political change was incorrect. The line was 'Your Independent Election Channel'."
