Community media play a vital role in holding people in positions of power accountable and creating change in communities. This was according to Thabang Pusoyabane, manager of Radio Riverside, a community radio station based in the Northern Cape.
Pusoyabane spoke during a panel discussion at an annual World Press Freedom Day event hosted by Stellenbosch University’s (SU) department of journalism on 3 May. The event coincided with the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day.
The focus of the event was to discuss the importance of freedom of expression, particularly in the community news sector, stated prof Herman Wasserman, chair of SU’s department of journalism.
“There is a spread of disinformation through opinion-based [news] models and social media,” said prof Herman Wasserman (pictured above), chair of Stellenbosch University’s department of journalism. PHOTO: Daniel Roodt
The importance of accountability
Journalism is capable of creating significant change, as “what we put out there can change lives”, said Cheri-Ann James, editor of Daily Dispatch, during a panel discussion at the event. “We always look at how we can force change,” stated James.
“If people intimidate us and we back down, we do a disservice to the community,” said Cheri-Ann James (pictured above, right), editor of Daily Dispatch, during a panel discussion at Stellenbosch University’s recent annual World Press Freedom Day event. PHOTO: Daniel Roodt
This type of journalism, where failures by those in positions of power are brought to light, is known as accountability journalism, explained Daneel Knoetze, founder of Viewfinder, an accountability journalism project.
The goal of accountability journalism is to explore the consequences of these failures and to “confront the people not doing the job”, said Knoetze, during his workshop on conducting accountability journalism, at the event.
Local investment
Local journalists have a deeper understanding of the challenges experienced within their communities, and can utilise their local connections to aid them, said Pusoyabane. They have a vested interest in solving community problems, which adds to their commitment to holding people accountable, said Pusoyabone.
The case of Thabo Bester
Thabo Bester’s escape from prison in 2022 was a story that would have likely never emerged in such detail without intense work by journalists, said Nathan Geffen, editor of GroundUp, during his keynote address at the same event.
News publications, like GroundUp, practise evidence-based journalism, where journalists take multiple steps to properly verify information, stated Geffen. This is imperative, as “extraordinary claims [like Bester’s escape] require extraordinary evidence”, said Geffen.
“Using an evidence-based approach, we can be more accurate and better than social media,” said Nathan Geffen (pictured above), editor of GroundUp. Geffen delivered the keynote address at the recent annual World Press Freedom Day event hosted by Stellenbosch University’s (SU) department of journalism. PHOTO: Daniel Roodt