Brand, who is also the Pearson Chair of economics journalism at the School of Journalism, made those comments in the wake of Zuma's online letter The voice of the ANC must be heard published in ANC Today online on Friday 18 January, in which he unsympathetically attacked the media.
“When he speaks of a ‘general trend within most mainstream media institutions to adopt positions, cloaked as sober and impartial observation, that are antagonistic to the democratic movement and its agenda for fundamental, social, political and economic transformation', does he include in his assessment the SABC, by far the largest media organisation in the country with the widest reach?” Brand asked.
“And what about mass-circulation newspapers such as the Sowetan and the Daily Sun? Could they really be accused of actively opposing economic and social change? I think Mr Zuma fails to take into account of the diversity of media voices in SA,” Brand said regrettably.
The relationship between the SA independent press and the ruling party remains tense and edgy, with the latter vehemently accusing the former – as Zuma put it – of becoming a victim of its own propaganda and manipulation, functioning at times as if they are an opposition party and driven by commercial forces.
But Brand said that if Zuma is truly concerned about the effect of commercialism on the media, he should forthwith ensure that the Government increases its subsidy of the SABC, which would enable the national broadcaster to concentrate on its public service mandate rather than on competing for advertising against commercial channels.
Business Day recently reported that the ANC is proposing that the Government raise its funding to the SABC from a mere 2% to a whopping 60% by 2010, in order to curb the public broadcaster's reliance on advertising revenue, which the party said was having a ‘negative effect' on society.
However, Brand advised that such an increase should go hand-in-hand with stronger measures to ensure the independence of the public broadcaster from the political party's interests.
Furthermore, Zuma said in his ‘Letter from the President' that the 52nd National Conference called for the ANC to develop its own media platforms, making use of available technology to articulate its positions and perspectives directly to the people.
“This,” he wrote, “needs to take place alongside the effort to transform the SA media environment so that it becomes more representative of the diversity of the views and interests in society, more accessible to the majority of the people and less beholden to commercial interests.”
Brand said, “Political parties have every right to set up ‘media platforms' to promote their ideas and policies, as long as voters know that those news media are party instruments.
“It would be problematic for the ANC to own commercial news media – such as the recent attempt by a consortium, including figures close to Ghe government, to buy Avusa (ex-Johncom) – and plainly wrong for the party to use the public broadcaster as its mouthpiece.”
Zuma's harsh remarks have alarmed the SA independent media fraternity, with many predicting a spiky road ahead for free-thinking minds who will dare challenge its government come 2009.
But Brand said there is no need to panic. “I don't think we should be too alarmist about ‘attacks on the media'. Too often criticism of the media is portrayed as an ‘attack', and as I have said much of what Mr Zuma said in his newsletter is valid criticism,” he said.
“One positive aspect of the missive is that he makes no mention of the ANC's proposal of a ‘media appeal tribunal', which would amount to Government's regulation of the media.
“Perhaps it is simply an oversight, but perhaps it reflects an understanding that such a tribunal would be an unwarranted infringement of media freedom.”
