SECTOR 4 4.1 The standard of reporting follows the basic principles of accuracy and fairness Panellists felt that, in general, journalists in the SA media did try to be fair and accurate, which could be due to the fact that there was recourse through the Press Council in cases of unfairness or inaccuracy. A panellist felt that ‘fast’ online news and radio news were more often guilty of being inaccurate, possibly through haste rather than intentional negligence. ‘Journalists are working under very difficult constraints and we can see from the academic institutions that there is a desire to train media students properly, but what is clearly lacking is specialist knowledge, such as is evident from journalists’ inability to report properly on a law case. And this is despite the fact that our courts play such a critical role in our democracy.’ Another panellist agreed that the lack of dedicated beat reporters impacted on the quality of the reporting. ‘Most South Africans don’t engage with the Mail & Guardian, the Daily Maverick or the amaBhungane stories. They read the tabloids like the Daily Sun. I think part of the problem is that few people in media leadership roles are mentoring younger journalists these days.’ Senior journalists often went into more lucrative positions in the corporate or private sector, while younger journalists were said to emerge with a degree, ‘but no passion or real understanding of the media and they are not supported in the workplace’. A panellist noted how it was refreshing that South African print media, unlike the United Kingdom’s tabloid press, for example, did not publish ‘crazy, screaming, partisan headlines’ which can be blatantly unfair and are often inaccurate. It was felt that there was too much of an emphasis on politics and economics in the South African news media. ‘The real issues affecting the lives of the people on a daily basis are generally not covered, apart from radio stations like [Talk Radio] 702, although even this is not followed through with accurate and in-depth reporting.’ News media was said to focus too much on ‘big boy politics’, while rural issues, for example, are often not covered. ‘I’d prefer to see social stories framed as political issues.’ Some panellists felt that both black and white journalists in the media perpetuated the stereotype that ‘black lives in South Africa don’t matter’. In terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex (LGBTI) issues, a panellist felt that the standard of reporting depended on the media concerned. 47 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2018