SECTOR 4 4.2 The media follow voluntary codes of professional standards, which are enforced by independent/ non-statutory bodies that deal with complaints from the public Most mainstream print media houses are members of the Press Council and abide by its Press Code. The Press Council, which was established by the media as a self-regulatory body in 2007, adjudicates complaints from the public through the Press Ombudsman and shows the commitment of print media houses to ethical journalism. The Ombudsman can demand that a publication publish a prominent apology, as well as the findings of the Press Council, if it has been found to be in the wrong. If the wronged person is still unhappy, the case can be taken to appeal. The council is a co-regulatory system and is comprised of six public and six press representatives. Since 2013, it has had a public representative (an advocate) to assist members of the public in laying complaints. Approximately 2,500 complaints were made to the Press Council between 2013 and 2018. It was noted that the publications which subscribe to the code respect it and have been totally compliant with any directives of the council, its code and its rulings. The Independent Group and Noseweek are not members of the Press Council. The Independent left the council in 2016 and has its own ombudsman. The former Gupta-owned New Age newspaper (no longer in production) withdrew from the council in 2015. ‘The Press Council gets lots of complaints about the Independent but it is outside of their jurisdiction, but people do ask, “how independent is the Independent”? ’ The BCCSA operates in much the same way as the Press Council and has a voluntary code to which various broadcasters, including online media, subscribe. The BCCSA has been in existence for 20 years and was described as ‘working well’ although ‘it is a constant uphill battle at the BCCSA to assess freedom of expression issues and personal morality should stay out of such matters’. A statutory broadcasting code is laid down by ICASA, to which aggrieved parties can also lay complaints against broadcasters that are not members of the BCCSA. However, there are potential problems as a broadcaster that also posts broadcasting content online could encounter, and might find itself having complaints made against it at the BCCSA and the Press Council in respect of the same content. It was noted that the Editor’s Forum of Namibia had created one code for print, broadcasting and online media and, in an era of convergence, this was recommended as the route that South Africa should take by amalgamating the two self-regulatory bodies into one platform. 50 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2018