eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer isn't leaving the TV news channel - but eNCA says his 'employment relationship has changed'.

The eNCA (DStv 403) reporter Nickolaus Bauer isn't leaving the South African TV news channel, eNCA tells TVwithThinus.

It comes after rumours started circulating in the biz that Nickolaus Bauer has resigned from eNCA.

Journalists and producers at e.tv and eNCA are especially on edge given the ongoing exodus of talent before and behind the scenes at eNews and eNCA the past few months, and acrimonious labour issues at e.tv's Hyde Park headquarters in Johannesburg where staffers are fearful about losing their jobs.

The rumour mill started buzzing that Nickolaus Bauer is the next to jettison eNCA, but e.tv says that is not true.

"Nickolaus Bauer is still very much a part of the eNCA reporter team. His employment relationship with eNCA however has changed given that he requested more time to spend on his studies," e.tv says in response to a media enquiry.

"Viewers will continue to see regular reports from Nickolaus Bauer".

eNCA says news channel is 'dealing with' Nickolaus Bauer internally after reporter tweeted old 2010-taken South African flag photos without checking the facts.

eNCA (DStv 403) says it is "dealing with" Nickolaus Bauer internally after he became the latest eNCA reporter to damage the TV news channel's brand reputation with an online, social media mistake when he tweeted photos of the old South African flag taken in 2010 without checking.

Mapi Mhlangu, eNCA's managing director and editor-in-chief, said in a statement on Tuesday evening that the news channel is "apologising unreservedly for our reporter's error" and that eNCA remains committed to providing the "unbiased, truthful, and accurate news coverage the channel has long been known for".

Mapi Mhlangu says eNCA takes Nickolaus Bauer's violation of a fundamental element of journalism - fact-checking before distributing or passing on information - seriously.

The brouhaha started when reporter Nickolaus Bauer on Monday tweeted photos - without checking - that was not part of Monday's "Black Monday" protests, yet linked it to the the Black Monday protests organised against farm killings and questioned the motives of some of the people participating in the protests.

One photo Nickolaus Bauer tweeted was of people wearing clothes branded with the old South African flag.

On Tuesday's front page of The Star, the newspaper co-incidentally used the same picture, without James Oatway's permission, credit or proper caption.

Another photo Nickolaus Bauer tweeted was in which someone was burning the current South African flag.

In reality the photographs were not taken on Monday or linked to Monday's Black Monday protests, but by James Oatway, who pointed the errors out after the photos began circulating widely on social media.

Nickolaus Bauer has since deleted the tweet.

He later admitted that he "severely erred", although "the message remains relevant".

On Twitter South Africans criticised the reporter and eNCA for the lack of fact-checking.

"Terribly disappointed Nickolaus Bauer that no fact checking happened, just sensational race baiting in a racially divided country. Not cool," said Tracey Shaw.

"At eNCA we have always prided ourselves on our commitment to truth and accurate reporting," says Mapi Mhlangu.

"Our guiding principle at eNCA has always been that reportage which does not meet the channel's stringent editorial standards cannot go on air, and therefore also cannot appear online."

"Reportage is not the same as opinion and we have consistently signaled the difference between these aspects of eNCA's work, both on television and across its online platform."

Mapi Mhlangu says eNCA is "dealing with Nickolaus Bauer's conduct internally. Until this process is complete, we will not be drawn further on this issue."

eNCA isn't a stranger to social media controversy that the channel's on-air talent caused.

In 2012 the then sports anchor Lance Witten was abruptly suspended after hurtful and inappropriate tweets following out-of-line and insensitive death tweet jokes after the Linkin Park concert structure collapse tragedy in Cape Town.

SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng publicly calls for journalists to be licensed for a 6th time; media experts says SABC boss sounds like 'National Party during Apartheid'.

The SABC's controversial and famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng has again, for the 6th time publicly, called for the media in South Africa to be regulated and for South African journalists to be licensed.

On eNCA (DStv 403) in an interview with reporter Nickolaus Bauer, the SABC's embattled and scandal-riddled chief operating officer (COO) - who shouldn't actually be speaking to editorial matters of the South African public broadcaster at all since it falls outside his job description - again called for press regulation and for journalists to be policed.

It follows after Hlaudi Motsoeneng's 5th call for the licensing of journalists last week on Insig on kykNET (DStv 144) with Waldimar Pelser - in a cringe-worthy bad interview that commentators are calling "brutal and awful to watch" - with Hlaudi Motsoeneng saying he wants to see journalists regulated.

In that same highly embarrassing interview for Hlaudi Motsoeneng and the SABC, the public broadcaster's second highest executive who is also involved in a lengthy court battle over his controversial appointment, also said the media shouldn't report on crime since it leads to more crime being committed.

Respected and veteran media experts are saying Hlaudi Motsoeneng is completely out of line.

Nickolaus Bauer sat down with veteran newspaper man Joe Thloloe and Press Council executive director, saying the utterances by the SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng is the same as "what the National Party (NP) used to say during the days of Apartheid".

"They were saying if we report on the violence in our streets, violence related to apartheid, we were in fact encouraging terrorism," Joe Thloloe told Nickolaus Bauer on eNCA.

"If you have more positive stories, you will be able to produce the better leaders of tomorrow," Hlaudi Motsoeneng told Nickolaus Bauer in another sit down interview in his report. Hlaudi Motsoeneng warned that South Africa's journalists will be policed in future.

Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) has 3 lessons for Hlaudi Motsoeneng who says the SABC's matricless boss is placing media freedom in South Africa at risk.

The wonderful William Bird, media expert, wrote this thoughtful and extremely insightful think piece which is a must-read article and also addresses the daft Hlaudi Motsoeneng's latest debilitating and damaging utterances.

Read the whole article, but here's just a few stand-out sentences from William Bird:

'Hlaudi Motsoeneng was simply speaking on issues that he really should not be speaking on for our public broadcaster."

"Areas in which we may expect informed responses from an SABC COO are the SABC's financial position; why the National Intelligence Agency was sweeping the SABC offices in Durban; how the SABC is implementing the recommendations of the auditor-general; or the Special Investigating Unit or even those of the public protector," writes William Bird.

" If it was editorial matters: how about what's going on with the SABC’s revised editorial policies which are now six years overdue. (Yes, SIX years!) The delay is all the more bizarre because they were reportedly finished and revised months ago. Instead we are left gawping at the ludicrous."

"The real issue of why the SABC COO is speaking on these issues is not addressed nor are any answers given by the COO himself. Think about this – how many COOs of any other media house can you name, let alone identify in the media recently? Then ask why that is."

BREAKING. eNCA after its reporter is harassed by South African Police: 'Outrageous bullying tactics unacceptable' in South Africa.

Photo: Beeld

The eNCA (DStv 403) 24-hour TV news channel tells TV with Thinus it is "outrageous" that the South African police harassed one of its TV reporters and forcibly removed images off of his cellphone and that eNCA find these "bullying tactics" of journalists in South Africa unacceptable.

Ben Said, group news editor of eNCA tells me that eNCA will be taking up the matter with the South African Police as well as the ANC political party.

Yesterday a member of the South African Police's VIP unit, dressed in plain clothes, forcibly removed images from the cellphone of eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer.

Nickolaus Bauer was at an ANC election rally in Duduza.

The incident occured after Nickolaus Bauer took photos of an Ekurhuleni government vehicle transporting and handing out ANC T-shirts to ANC supporters at one of the political party's election rallies.

This is a transgression and abuse of state resources to use a government vehicle for a specific political party's electioneering.

"We think it is outrageous and it is just another example of these sort of incidents where the police are willing to abuse their power; intimidating and harassing journalists," says Ben Said.

"It goes against SANEF's code of conduct signed with the South African Police," says Ben Said.

"These bullying tactics by the South African Police are unacceptable in a democratic South Africa".

"We are going to be taking the matter up with the head of the South African Police's VIP unit and I've also asked the ANC to look into the matter," says Ben Said.


ALSO READ: eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer harassed by ANC; reporter has cellphone forcibly taken and images deleted.

BREAKING. eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer harassed by ANC; TV reporter has cellphone forcibly taken and images deleted.

Photo: Beeld

The eNCA (DStv 403) reporter Nickolaus Bauer was harassed today by the South African Police who forcibly took his cellphone and deleted images off of the TV journalist's cellphone at an ANC election rally in Duduza that the 24-hour TV news channel was covering.

Nickolaus Bauer was harassed by a South African Police member, dressed in plain clothes, as other journalists and cameramen looked on.

Nickolaus Bauer's phone was forcibly taken and photos he took deleted by the South African policeman who apparently works for the VIP division.

The police man didn't want Nickolaus Bauer to take and have photos of a Gauteng government vehicle used to transport ANC T-shirts for the election rally - a state vehicle which means it is an abuse of state resources to do this for a specific political party.

e.tv and eNCA didn't respond to a media enquiry made before close of day on Friday seeking comment,a response or a statement from the 24-hour TV news channel on Friday's incident.

ALSO READ: eNCA after its reporter Nickolaus Bauer is harassed by South African Police: "Outrageous bullying tactics unacceptable in South Africa".