 | One-sided reporting by local media taken to a next level
13 December 2023 | Press Releases |
13 December 2023
Drakenstein Municipality is not surprised, but once again deeply disappointed and appalled by local media’s one-sided, irresponsible reporting of an internal, labour-related matter involving a high-ranking official at the Municipality.
Not only did the Paarl Post conveniently ignore the basic journalism principles of fair, balanced reporting, but it also chooses to focus on so-called sensationalist allegations when it comes to municipal articles – rather than giving fair placement to positive, encouraging news such as the Municipality’s fifth back-to-back clean audit opinion and what this means for our community.
Writing the article on the labour-related matter the newspaper chose to believe those with a political agenda, instead of contacting the Municipality for more context and a better understanding of how such labour processes work.
A grievance is a private, internal matter in which both the complainant and the defendant get fair opportunity and time to state their case. This is not done via the media, but through a reasonable and neutral labour process.
The Paarl Post fell in the trap of those trying to manipulate the outcome of the grievance and abusing the media for their own personal gain.
Such gullibility and bias are not what its readers deserve. At the very least it should remember and convey to its readers that there are two sides to every story.
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Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
