by Thinus Ferreira
South African TV news journalists like Ntokozo Khumalo of Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405), Tshepo Mongoa of SABC News (DStv 404), and 4 others like Sizwe Sama Yende at City Press went on an all-expenses paid Karpowership to Rio de Janeiro and failed to tell viewers that the coverage was in fact promotional Karpowership coverage due to a freebie Brazil trip.
Nowhere in her story did Ntokozo Khumalo tell DStv subscribers watching the TV news channel that Newzroom Afrika was talking to people Karpowership publicists gave the TV news channel access to in Brazil and wanted Newzroom Afrika to talk to.
Neither did Ntokozo Khumalo or Newzroom Afrika tell viewers that the Brazil visit was part of an all-expenses paid, free trip that was offered to Newzroom Afrika and that Newzroom Afrika agreed to.
While it looks like Ntokozo Khumalo is doing real reporting, the Newzroom Afrika coverage in fact spins Karpowership's involvement as hilariously positive - going as far as even interviewing about the environmental projects Karpowership is paying for, to showcase how allegedly positive and great a Karpowership deal would be to supply South Africa with electricity.
The same goes for SABC News and Tshepo Mongoa of SABC News - with the public broadcaster that likewise deliberately omitted to tell viewers in Tshepo Mongoa's story filed from Rio de Janeiro that the SABC News "reporting" was made possible by Karpowership and is therefore actually a Karpowership promo and something Karpowership paid for in terms of sponsoring a free overseas trip.
Annika Larsen co-incidentally also aired a Karpowership interview she conducted in Turkey for her My Guest Tonight with Annika Larsen show on eNCA (DStv 403) and e.tv, but made it quite clear that "we paid for our trip to Turkey in full interest of unbiased journalism".
"We were not aware Karpowership was taking journalists on a junket when we booked," Annika Larsen said.
TVwithThinus reached out to the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) for comment, which will be added here when received.
