Hajra Omarjee
22 February 2008
Johannesburg — AN INVITATION to African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma to address a function exclusively for black journalists today has become a public relations nightmare for the organisers.
The ANC defended the move yesterday, saying that while the party was multiracial it respected the Forum for Black Journalists' "constitutional right" to organise along racial lines, and would not dictate to them.
The forum, formed in 1996, relaunches in Johannesburg today.
Zuma was invited as a guest at the inaugural discussions.
The Human Rights Commission's chairman, Jody Kollapen, criticised the thinking behind the group yesterday. "There may well be a need for such an organisation, but to exclude white journalists based on their race has to be questioned," Kollapen said. "It is difficult to justify the exclusion of a white journalist who is committed to the advancement of the organisation's cause."
Some see Zuma's acceptance of the invitation as a move to woo certain sections of the media -- black journalists. His increasing wrangling with the media has been spotlighted recently.
The ANC has called for a media tribunal to "supplement" self-regulatory mechanisms.
Zuma, elected ANC president in December, is suing a number of media houses for defamation. He also repeatedly rapped journalists over the knuckles for reporting on allegations of corruption against him.
Head of Wits University's journalism school, Prof Anton Harber, said yesterday the exclusion of nonblack journalists concerned him because the invitation said that discussions could not be published.
He said this was tantamount to an off-the-record briefing.
While the Freedom of Expression Institute defended the right of the forum to organise along racial lines, it said it was "unstrategic at worst" to prevent any journalists, no matter their race, from attending.
Forum for Black Journalists' chairman Abbey Makoe defended the gathering, saying all black journalists as defined by the law could attend.
"There's no point arguing about the right to freedom of association, that is enshrined in the constitution, but I agree there needs to be a debate about the need for this organisation. We are not anti white, but pro black... And we would respect the right of white journalists to gather along the same lines," Makoe said.
Harber was "hard pressed" to find different challenges facing black and white journalists in SA.
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