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The article in question, which became a scourge of controversy, not only sought to denigrate the movement with allegations of anti-Semitism for publishing a cartoon it claimed was anti-Semitic; it reproduced strangely the cartoon!
Strangely, the reproduction of the cartoon which she described as deeply offensive to Jews accompanied the contested article intended for a Jewish readership. Why the contradiction? Surely a question owners need to think about as part of the soul-searching to establish who screwed up.
Strategies allow choices one can make to achieve a desired outcome. If in the case of the editor of the Jewish Report, or the editorial team or perhaps even its president, supposed to have devised a strategy to nail down the SABDS Coalition once and for all, it has backfired miserably on him .
Deja vu in the loudly proclaimed and unambiguously accusatory title:
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“Anti-Semitic Clover Cartoon Is BDS’ Sour ‘Last Gasp'”.
No pretension to hide the choice made if indeed the strategy was to directly target and vilify the BDS movement.
Although the contentious article was published on November 6, 2020; eighteen months later, he is still facing a dire public relations fallout. And damage control efforts that smack of arrogance didn’t add any value. In fact, the negative impact for the Jewish relationship remains in the spotlight.
And rightly so because of the need for the conduct of the media to be weighed against their position on the all-important issue of media ethics.
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According to the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), ethics is a principle that a journalist uses as a guide to decide between right and wrong. “Ethics in journalism can be defined as the code of conduct to which a journalist is held accountable and adheres to in the performance of their duties”.
It turned out that a comprehensive analysis of the article in relation to the Press Council Code, formed the basis of a complaint by media activist Hassen Lorgat on behalf of the BDS coalition and the GIWUSA union.
A damning finding by the regulatory authority against the Jewish Report for being guilty of the relevant parts of the press code has been made. He demanded that an unconditional apology from them against the plaintiff be issued. This meant that the allegation of anti-Semitism was unfounded, thus exonerating BDS from the false accusation.
Once again, in defiance of its obligations as a signatory and member of the Press Council, the Jewish Report has not had the moral courage to apologize. Instead, he attempted to obfuscate and evade himself by resorting to flimsy efforts such as forfeiting his membership.
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After repeatedly thwarting the decision of the Press Council, the Jewish Report suffered a humiliating expulsion by being disbarred as a member.
As City Press reported, this is the first time in the history of the press and online media regulator that a member has been expelled. And it happens to be a newspaper known for its allegiance and support for Israeli apartheid.
Explaining the context following harsh criticism from Jewish Report President Howard Sackstein, who accused the Press Council of “incompetence”, The Press Council’s Latiefa Mobara set the record straight.
“All of our mediation and arbitration processes are independent. Three judges oversee the work of the PCSA. Judge Levinsohn is the chairman, Judge Ngoepe leads our appeal committee and Judge Yvonne Mokgoro is in charge of our nominating committee , who appoints all officers of the council.
Mobara was clear, “…the decision to expel the publication was made to ensure that reporting in the media space was fair and ethical.”
Two key words that remain at the heart of journalism: fairness and ethics, which the Jewish Report has proven to be lacking or, worse, in short supply, and therefore fired.
The question facing the Jewish Report is can it save its image while remaining adamant that it will not abide by the ruling?
Such impunity, which may resonate with extremists within the South African Zionist establishment, is intolerable and should be exposed and challenged by media professionals. Ignoring it will jeopardize hard-won press freedoms, especially in the fight to ensure media transformation, including the protection consumers are entitled to from unjust defamation.
Mobara is therefore correct in asserting that members are required to respect the principles contained in the press code.
Iqbal Jassat, Executive Member of the Media Review Network
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