Ruling on Parliaments signal jamming labelled as disappointing
Loyiso
Langeni
The
South African National Editors Forum has expressed its disappointment at the
judgement regarding Parliament’s broadcasting policy.
On
Thursday the Western Cape High Court dismissed the case brought by several
media houses about the interruption of the State of the Nation Address
broadcast in February, where Economic Freedom Fighters MP’s were thrown out by
police.
29
May 2015
Sanef
Chairperson Mpumelelo Mkhabela said we remain convinced that South Africans are
entitled to know everything that is happening in their Parliament regardless of
whether the politicians or those who are managing Parliament think it’s bad or
not bad for the institutions.
“Parliament
after all is a public forum it will be very sad if we were to allow the
judgement to go unchallenged and reducing parliament to a place those who are
in charge could decide what the public should see and what the public should
not see. There is nothing in Parliament that should be hidden and that I think
should be the principle of the dispensation that we live in.” Mkhabela added.
Meanwhile the Right 2 Know
campaign said while the judgement is disappointing it is encouraged by a strong
judgement from Judge Kate Savage.
R2K’s Murray Hunter said they
are disappointed by the judgement because they believe that Parliament
broadcasting policy allows for censorship and believe every South African has
the right to know what is happening inside Parliament and any policy that
undermines that right to know needs to be challenged.
However, Right 2 Know said it
will appeal the ruling and it is confident of their chances.
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