IOL article on Somali Association of South Africa falls below expected journalist standards
By Sharon Ekambaram
On June 23, IOL published an article titled “Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya condemns alleged bribery attempt in Mamelodi”.
The article – seemingly based on one social media post and a query with the mayor’s spokesperson – illustrates the harm that poor quality journalism can unleash on unsuspecting individuals and organisations.
The story centres on an X post and a video shared by the Mayor of Tshwane Nasiphi Moya. The video shows Moya on a telephone call with a man claiming to be the “Chairperson of the Somali Community Board of South Africa”. She then comments on her post that the phone call in the video depicted the “Chairperson Somali Association” trying to bribe and threaten her.
Based on the above post, the IOL article states Moya “has strongly condemned an alleged bribery attempt by an individual claiming to be the chairperson of the Somali Association in South Africa”. It goes on to describe the phone conversation, emphasising Moya’s repeated claims that the individual had broken the law.
This creates the erroneous impression that the person heading the Somali Association of South Africa (SASA) is of questionable repute. But, little to no effort was made to verify this depiction.
No effort was made to reach out to SASA, or its executive director. IOL News only requested comments from Moya’s spokesperson, ignoring the organisation and individual most harmfully impacted by the article.
Had the journalist conducted a cursory scan of the SASA’s website at the time of writing, they would have realised that SASA does not have a chairperson in an operational position, as it is headed by an “executive director”. Furthermore, the person on the phone did not identify himself as belonging to the Somali Association of South Africa.
SASA is not aware of or involved in the matter mentioned in Moya’s post. Its executive director is not based in Gauteng and works closely with civil society, state and global intergovernmental organisations across the country. SASA is known for its excellent work serving vulnerable groups including asylum seekers, refugees, women and youth.
As result of Moya’s misleading post, and IOL’s amplification of it, SASA has faced widespread online abuse and threats. Photos of its executive director and other staff members have been posted on social media referencing Moya’s phone call. SASA’s office location in Cape Town has also been shared online.
The effect of IOL’s article is therefore not only potentially defamatory of SASA and its executive director, it has also put the safety of the organisations’ members at risk.
The Press Council of South Africa’ Code for print and online media states that journalists should commit themselves to the “to the highest standards, to maintain credibility and keep the trust of the public”. This entails “always striving for truth, avoiding unnecessary harm, reflecting a multiplicity of voices in our coverage of events, showing a special concern for children and other vulnerable groups.”
Many clauses of the press code seem to have been breached by IOL’s article including the duty to:
IOL no longer belongs to the Press Council, so cannot be investigated or held responsible by the Council for breaching any parts of its code.
It is extremely dangerous for news publications to frame entire articles around single social media posts without minimal fact checking with affected parties. It is also dangerous when media does not question public servants on how they conduct themselves in public. Moya’s use of social media posts to address corruption should have been questioned by the journalist. This requires that media houses ensure that journalists have enough time to do this kind of fact checking and research.
In the instance the journalist should have questioned Moya on her failure to conform to legally enshrined duties required of the Executive Mayor. Of specific note are:
When journalism involves simply amplifying social media posts to garner clicks, rather than reporting on real events in a balanced way, it doesn’t only harm and endanger affected individuals and organisations. It also serves to weaken public trust in the media and in so doing undermine the country’s hard fought for democracy. We call for more responsible journalism going forward and emphasis the importance of fact checking.
* Sharon Ekambaram is the Head of Programme: Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme, in the Pretoria Office and Law Clinic of Lawyers for Human Rights.
* EDITOR'S NOTE: While IOL and Independent Media are no longer members of the Press Council of South Africa, the media group does have a public editor and Group Press Ombud to whom complaints can be directed via email – complaints@inl.co.za – or by visiting IOL's Complaints Procedure page.