SA reporters lack understanding and experience
Many Journalists in South Africa, particularly those from the white owned and controlled media, lack vital skills, when reporting about political happenings and labour related issues.
Like the ANC, SACP, COSATU and ANCYL the largest Local Government Union SAMWU has encountered numerous problems with reporters. Especially reporters that misquote, misrepresent and do not understand the history and background of labour related issues, International labour standards, the history of the country and the role Trade Unions and Alliance structures played and continue to play, utilising mass democratic action to liberate the toiling masses.
We fully concur with the ANCYL President comrade Julius Malema, when he lashed out at certain media organisations in the country today. Municipal Workers understand the Youth Leagues frustration with certain media organisations. These media houses are not training and educating their reporters.
Many reporters have learned their trade on the job, there are hardly any formal courses, offered by reputable institutions that offer skills training for reporters who want to specialise in reporting on labour related matters and or political issues.
The sector training authority, which supports and facilitates education and training in the media, must ensure that adequate training is developed and offered to those commercial media houses that are in desperate need of it.
A good few years ago, there used to be labour reporters and political reporters but today in newsrooms across the country - apart from two newspapers - there are no specialist reporters, especially in radio stations. We demand that media houses train their reporters in the fields they are covering and create specialist reporters who would report truthfully, within the proper context and accurately.
A rapidly changing socio-political environment meant that many journalists have been under pressure to understand and report on complex issues quickly and accurately. Which they have failed to do so - most reporters found in newsrooms today are young and inexperienced, yet they are required to report on rapidly changing socio-political environments, complex issues quickly and even issues they themselves do not understand.
With political and labour related developments likely to escalate rapidly next year, it is vital we start from now to better equip the mostly young and inexperienced reporters with the knowledge and tools they require.
Statement issued by Tahir Sema, SAMWU national spokesperson, October 28 2011
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