By OBAKENG MAJE
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and South African Police Service (SAPS) management embarked on a consultative engagement to strengthen their working relationship. This comes after reports of harassment by police officers against journalists while covering protests.
SANEF deputy chairperson, Katy Katopodis said they held a robust, frank, and successful meeting on a wide range of issues, including the working relations between journalists and members of the police.
“We have tabled concerns regarding the hindrance and harassment of journalists in courts around the country as well as the media’s experiences of harassment and injury by SAPS members, while in the field covering the Coronavirus crisis.
“In turn, SAPS tabled concerns regarding some members of the media obstructing police in their course of duty. Further, they outlined their new Online Policing Strategy to fight crime online. The details will be released at the later stage,” Katopolis said.
She further said the meeting agreed that despite specific serious incidents, the relationship between journalists and various units of the SAPS was primarily mutually cordial and reflecting the spirit of cooperation between the media and the SAPS. Katopolis added that both agreed parties agreed that the police and journalists can do their jobs without confrontations.
“It is possible for both parties to respect their various roles out in the field. Furthermore, the meeting decided to recommit to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed more than 10 years ago but is still relevant. It was agreed that this document needed to be updated and made relevant to the current times, before being signed by September.
“To make this work further, the meeting agreed to establish a team with representatives from both SAPS and SANEF to unpack the MoU. It will recommend a programme of action that includes training for journalists on crime scene etiquette and training for police officers on the critical role of the media in covering crime and protests,” she said.
Katopolis said the SANEF is committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics, and diversity in the South African media. She said the structure promotes excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes.
The Guardian 