Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) welcomes the long awaited launch of the SABC’s EditorialPolicies. While delayed, they represent a significant commitment to editorialindependence. The new policies will frame a bold approach to the SABC’s public servicemandate, and in particular its news and current affairs content.The previous policies contained some incredibly progressive elements, including thosesections that dealt with protecting and respecting children’s rights. The sections wereimportant as they dealt with the most vulnerable and marginalised group in South Africa.

They are also important as they help set the bar for the highest standards of editorialstandards and practice. Not only have core principles been retained, but children are givenspecial attention under the overall guiding principles. We choose to highlight this elementahead of the other key shifts in the policies because they signal a fundamental shift in theapproach taken in these policies to the SABC’s public service mandate, and to adhering tothe highest ethical and editorial standards. This may sound like an obvious point for a publicbroadcaster but it was only a few years ago that it took a formal complaint to ICASA over adecision to ban showing public protests (submitted by MMA, the SOS Coalition and the FXI),to remind the SABC that its default should be to the highest ethical and editorial practicesand not the lowest.One of the most critiqued aspects of the previous policies, around upward referral, has alsobeen rectified. Previously the editorial buck stopped with the GCEO, who was thenresponsible as the final decision maker for editorial decisions - this was abused by previousGCEO’s and then illegally changed and abused, under Motsoeneng, to be the COO, where hesought to also apply not just upward referral, but downward as well. The new policies havemade, what we support as the correct decisions, that the Head of News is the Editor in Chiefand the editorial buck now stops there. This makes sense from a news and current affairsperspective as she should be the one who takes the final decision on the News and CurrentAffairs direction of the SABC.The policies have also mentioned the SABC Board Subcommittee on News and Current Affairs, who not only have a clear role to play in the protection of the SABC’s editorial independence, but also have to exercise an oversite role in ensuring adherence to the SABC Editorial policies. The shift isn’t then simply to making the Head of News the final decision-maker but the express inclusion of the SABC Board with a positive obligation on the Board means that they can be held accountable in Parliament and by ICASA if they fail to protect the editorial independence of the SABC.We had, in our submission, made a proposal for an SABC Ombud to address complaintsindependently. At the launch of the policies the SABC made it clear this had beenconsidered but they felt the additional mechanisms, including the BCCSA and Press Council,meant the position would only add complexity and was not necessary given the otherelements included. Time will tell if this was the correct decision. What gives someconsolation is that the new policies also include a process for complaints about violations ofthe editorial policies themselves.In addition to this there is also, for the first time, explicit recognition of the Press Council and the SABC as signatory to it, which means complaints about the SABC content can, where appropriate, be brought before the BCCSA or the Press Council. One of the biggest weaknesses with the previous policies is that they were not enforceable in any way internally. During the launch, SABC executives spoke of using standard disciplinary procedures to help enforce compliance.Another significant shift in the policies has been the move to digital. Previous versions of thepolicies made little or no mention of digital media, both in terms of understanding SABC ascontent producers (instead of purely broadcasters), or indeed having a dedicated section.The new policies stand out as having not only sections on social media for SABC employees,but also speak to the SABC in the broader context and access to information and universalaccess. It is also clear that these policies seek to frame the SABC as shifting to a digitalfuture, where terms like platforms and content have taken the place of broadcast uniqueterms.While the policies may not have included all recommendations, there can be little doubtthat these seek to firmly break the SABC from its 2016 period where clear efforts toundermine its editorial independence and credibility were routinely practiced, enforced andendorsed by people at the highest levels of the organisation. These policies set theframework for a public broadcaster that not only seeks to adhere to the highest ethical andprofessional standards, but also seeks to do so in a manner that is alive to the context inwhich it operates, where the SABC will seek to tell all our stories, reflect diverse views andvoices, and does so in a manner which entrenches the rights in our constitution.The SABC editorial policies in many respects have set a very high bar not just for public broadcasters, but all broadcasters. The challenge for them is to ensure they can produce equallycomprehensive ethical polices. The real challenge for the SABC now is to ensure that thesemove from being policies in a document to a living culture within the organisation. After all,we can have great policies but if people don’t know about them or seek to adhere andpractice their principles, their power is hugely diminished. Madam Editor in Chief, we wishyou all the best, we will ensure we continue to fight for the SABC as our public broadcasterand challenge and critique strongly when we need to. Now to make the policies live…

For more information please contact:

William Bird (MMA Director)williamb@mma.org.za+27828871370

Thandi Smith (Head of Programmes)thandis@mma.org.za+27734707306