SOWETAN | Malema should respect the media

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ExpandEFF Leader Julius Malema briefing the media at the National Results Operations Centre at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand Johannesburg. Picture: Freddy Mavunda © Business Day Story audio is generated using AI

The media and journalists are always under constant scrutiny, especially in the age of social media, where trolls hide their real identities behind bots as they throw insults at us.

While our job is to expose the truth, make people accountable and educate our audience, the public has every right to criticise us when we err. Accountability should not be one-sided.

The issue of accountability and speaking truth to power took the spotlight at the weekend when EFF leader Julius Malema was addressing the media after last week’s elections.

One journalist asked him whether his links to some controversial figures mentioned at the Madlanga commission did not contribute to his party losing more than 600,000 votes.

“Even if that is the question, so what? There is nothing I can do about it,” Malema responded in a sharp and dismissive tone.

A few minutes later, Malema lost his cool when another journalist asked him about controversial businessman and friend Zee Nxumalo.

He accused the reporter of being unprofessional.

“You just bring something extremely useless…If you have nothing to think, shut up… There’s nothing wrong to keep quiet…Don’t want to try to sound intelligent by asking stupid [questions]

No matter how annoying and irritating the questions may have been to Malema, his responsibility was to answer them truthfully and with respect.

Our duty as media is to ask questions on behalf of our audience no matter how irrelevant they might appear to be. Malema should be called out for the unbecoming behaviour towards the media. As a leader of one of the big political parties in the country, he needs to lead by example and put his emotions aside when dealing with the media.

Just a few ago, a New24 journalist, Khaya Koko, received death threats after March & March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma shared screenshots of Koko’s media inquiry on her social media platforms.

The screenshots contained Koko’s cell number and her supporters used it to send threats to the journalist and his family.

Similar incidents of violence and threats have been directed to other journalists on social media.

Despite the unfavourable environment we work in, we applaud our colleagues who continue to do their work diligently while putting their lives at risk.

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