by Thinus Ferreira
Furious editorial staffers at eNCA (DStv 403) are once again accusing the eMedia Investments-run TV news channel of censorship and shocking bias in news coverage decisions after the South African channel failed to cover the press conference this past weekend of former president Jacob Zuma who is now behind bars.
In an internal memo to eNCA management, eNCA staffers claim that eNCA is once again practising censorship and is headlined "The ghost of censorship is back in the eNCA Newsroom! We reject censorship!".
eNCA staffers are demanding an open and transparent investigation into why Jacob Zuma's press conference was allegedly censored at eNCA, and are also demanding the appointment of an independent body to look into eNCA staffers' concerns about editorial newsroom interference - similar to what was done at the South African public broadcaster's SABC News division.
eNCA staffers say that they are once again compelled to "collectively" raise their voices "as loudly, as forcefully and as resoundingly as we can muster, in rejection of censorship in the eNCA newsroom."
"Our observation and experience is that this tendency has been creeping in gradually, and arguably quite insidiously, over a period of time; an incident here, an incident there, an inexplicable decision here, an inexplicable decision there."
"But nothing could have prepared us for the zero to a 100 full-force nature in which our concerns were to be dramatised and confirmed 'beyond a reasonable doubt' in the inexplicable, untenable and objectionable decision to censor the coverage of former president Jacob Zuma's speech to his supporters in Nkandla on Sunday."
"There is clearly a chain of command that determines which voices are to be snuffed out of the airwaves at eNCA"
"And the chain of command, we submit, does not start even in the most senior position in our newsroom, albeit implementation of unethical instructions arguably gains momentum at this level of newsroom management."
"We submit that it is our reasonable suspicion that the chain of command involves players who ordinarily should be concerned with the running of the eMedia business, including eNCA, but not taking editorial decisions."
"It is ironic that some of the decisions taken end up costing the channel significantly in viewership numbers, which invariably translates to pressure on desk, field, studio and on-air teams to account for plummeting numbers."
eNCA's editorial staffers say that "As we speak, we as a channel are still dealing with the albatross of the fateful 2019 decision to withdraw our crews from the EFF congress that December."
"To this day, we are unable to help at least that segment of the population that depends on us to receive or impart information and ideas around the third biggest political party in our country."
"To this day, we're viewed with a great deal of suspicion and our bona fides are questioned because of an impulsive, petulant, ideologically and fictionally-loaded decision taken by an individual who was in charge of our newsroom at the time."
eNCA staffers demand that eNCA "investigates the circumstances that led to the censoring of former president Jacob Zuma's address to his supporters on Sunday 4 July 2021, a news event that undoubtedly in the public interest and which we had the full capacity to cover."
Staffers want eNCA to appoint "an independent body to investigate staff concerns about editorial interference from the board, eNCA establishes a system whereby major editorial instructions must be communicated in writing only, if they are to be of any force or effect [and that] eNCA provides clear editorial direction on the channel's stance on Jacob Zuma coverage, to which we will respond to."
"We consider these matters to be of extreme urgency, as each passing hour seems to sink us to new depths. We therefore call on management to consider these matters raised herein, and give a comprehensive response," the internal memo states.
"The Nkandla field team is demotivated and the output and input teams are outraged given that they try their best to conquer audience demands."
eNCA didn't immediately respond to a media enquiry seeking comment on the new allegations of censorship at the TV news channel on Friday but will be added here if received.
eNCA has been battered by a constant exit of on-screen and behind-the-scenes talent over the past three years with multiple staffers exiting to the SABC and growing rival Newzroom Africa (DStv 405), with Thembekile Mrototo who became the latest to leave former eNCA-er now appearing on Newzroom Afrika in a weekend slot since July.
In October 2019 TVwithThinus reported that Kanthan Pillay, the founder and leader of the Capitalist Party of South Africa (ZACP), known as the "Purple Cows" was appointed in a senior news management position at the eMedia TV channel but neither eNCA nor editor-in-chief Jeremy Maggs at the time responded to media enquiries as to why Kanthan Pillay was appointed in this position.
eNCA then fired Kanthan Pillay as eNCA's director of news following shocking allegations of racism and newsroom censorship after a scandal plunged the eMedia Investments' TV news channel in a massive credibility and reputation crisis.
Kanthan Pillay was fired after growing shock and public outrage after he suspended an eNCA and called Samkele Maseko and others leaving eNCA "rats" who are going to a "sinking ship" meaning the SABC.
In December 2019, after the firing of Kantan Pillay and with Jeremy Maggs who said that he regretted hiring Kanthan Pillay, the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) welcomed the decision and said that it's calling for an investigation into how a politician was appointed to a senior position in a newsroom. Nothing happened.
