R2K Western Cape statement: Why didn’t Zille’s government use the complaint structures?

R2K Western Cape condemns the Western Cape government’s decision to stop its subscriptions to the Cape Times.

The decision has been framed by the Western Cape government as a response to the poor quality of journalism. If this was truly the only underlying reason, why not use the existing complaints mechanisms to address these grievances? The Press Ombudsman system exists for exactly this purpose. It’s been four days since the matter became public and there hasn’t been no confirmation that a formal complaint has been laid with the appropriate structures.

It is hard to believe that this decision is not tied somehow to perceived unfavourable coverage from the Cape Times. The provincial government’s decision to effectively boycott the Cape Times sends the wrong message on media freedom and diversity.

This feeds into an alarming trend of using public funds to reward favourable media organisations while punishing unfavourable ones. How different is this from previous calls in other branches of government to divert funds one way or the other in response to critical coverage? If the Western Cape government goes ahead with its decision, it sets a precedent for future forms of economic censorship.

For that reason, we also condemn the political mudslinging between the ANC and DA as barefaced hypocrisy. In the past, spokespeople for the ANC-led National Government have expressed support for similar and even more aggressive policies to divert public spending to ‘punish’ perceived opponents in the media and reward organisations that are seen as more pliant.

Leaving aside the allegations of editorial bias, the reality is that the Independent Media Group, owner of the Cape Times, has a very large readership base across the country and the province, and the Cape Times reflects the views of a sizeable section of the Western Cape government’s constituency. By taking a political decision to boycott the paper, the Western Cape government is shutting itself off from influential voices that it is supposed to be responsive to.

We also note that Premier Helen Zille has made a very serious allegation of plagiarism in the Cape Times. We would like to know if the allegations were acted upon by following proper channels and laying a complaint with the ombud.