ActionSA welcomes Press Council ruling against publication of dodgy ‘anonymous’ poll
9 April 2024
ActionSA welcomes the ruling by the Press Council against the publication of a dodgy anonymous poll by Rapport which withheld the provenance of an electoral poll published on 10 March 2024. The article was syndicated to City Press and News24 on the same day.
This is the 1st victory in a long road to the regulation of the polling industry that is necessary to protect our young democracy from abuses that impact upon the free expression of voter choice.
The Press Council found that the withholding of the origin of the poll amounted to a breach of Section 1(2) of the Press Code by omitting material information that South Africans were entitled to know. The fact that this poll is believed to have been produced by the DA is highly relevant given how its outcomes appear favourable almost exclusively to the DA.
The Press Council has ordered that the media outlets cited are, amongst other things, “directed to add a prominent statement about the responsible organisation, indicating whether it is fully independent or has any direct stake in the upcoming election, as party or otherwise.”