Saturday Star *Leaders at odds over Ruth First and media control * *Political Bureau, Saturday Star, Johannesburg, 21 August 2010*Alliance leaders have invoked the memory of veteran journalist Ruth First to argue for and against stricter media control, with SACP leader Blade Nzimande saying First would have supported the proposed media appeals tribunal.
Writing in his online newsletter Umsebenzi, Nzimande yesterday said First would have been "appalled" by the print media's intimidating tactics during the debate regarding the ANC's proposal to establish a statutory tribunal to regulate and handle complaints against the press.
"We are also commemorating Ruth First in the middle of a debate about the necessity for a media appeals tribunal in our country. Instead of engaging in this debate, the capitalist print media of our country is proving itself to be incapable of engaging in any meaningful debate on this front, but simply seeking to intimidate everybody by claiming that the freedom of capitalist print media equals freedom of expression in our country.
"Ruth First would have been appalled, but not surprised, at this arrogant behaviour of this section of the media. We are convinced that were she alive today she would have thrown everything into supporting an independent media appeals tribunal as a necessary component of free, but publicly accountable, media," Nzimande wrote.
However, Cosatu General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told an audience this week at a lecture in honour of First that the slain communist leader would not have supported the Protection of Information Bill, which -- in its current form -- will give politicians and bureaucrats more power to classify and criminalise possession of classified information.
"(First) would ask where al other democrats have gone after reading about the proposed Protection of Information Bill, which, if it goes through in its current form, will make a mockery of her work as a journalist committed to fighting injustices," Vavi said.
Cautionaing against any threats to media freedom, the ANC's Pallo Jordan wrote in the Sowetan newspaper yesterday that "it would be a slight" to the memory and work of First and another slain journalist, Joe Gqabi, "if our actions today proved us unworthy of their sacrifice."
Nzimande added that First would have been "deeply disappointed" by the "narrow and factionalist struggles" currently taking place in the ANC Youth League.
But the youth league spokesman Floyd Shivambu has dismissed Nzimande as ignorant.
"We would want the general secretary of the Communist Party to stop speaking about things he doesn't know because it's got a potential to affect his reputation," Shivambu said.
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