POLITICS

ANCYL disgusted by media's disinformation campaign

League to seek legal advice on how best to curb misleading reporting

ANC YL DISGUSTED BY NEWSPAPERS DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE 

05 March 2012

The ANC Youth League is disgusted by the disinformation campaign being run by some media institutions, particularly Sowetan, The Times, Independent Newspapers, The New Age and eNews channel. On Monday, the 5th of March 2012, these media houses ran a misleading story about what they say is suspension, expulsion or removal of ANC YL Treasurer General from the National Executive Committee, claiming that they got that from inside sources.

The unethical conduct of claiming to have internal sources in the ANC YL is not only disgusting, but utterly unprofessional and seeks to send mixed messages about the ANC YL. The ANC YL demands immediate apologies from all the media houses that spread lies about the internal processes and discussions of the ANC Youth League. The Sowetan, The Times, Independent Newspapers, The New Age and eNews channel should immediately apologise to the ANC Youth League, their Viewers/Readers and all South Africans for spreading pure lies and misleading information.

We demand an immediate apology because we are aware that these media houses are going to continue spreading lies and misleading information about the internal discussions of the ANC Youth League. Already some of these newspapers, particularly Sowetan is going to spread a lie which they will in turn apologise for, that the ANC YL leadership says certain leaders of the ANC have turned against the Youth League.

The ANC YL will seek legal advise on how best we curb misleading and disinformation practices of the media, because with the Press Ombudsman, we will not get satisfaction due to its toothlessness.

The ANC YL calls on all its members and supports to ignore Newspapers that spread lies and are engaged in disinformation campaigns. The outcomes of the ANC YL Special National Executive Committee are contained in the official statement read out by the leadership collective on Monday, the 5th of March 2012 in Luthuli House. The rest of the things spread are imaginations of unethical journalists and media houses.

Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, March 5 2012

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