The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes with disappointment the Sunday Times’ page 8 “special feature”, which appears at first sight to be a news article about the Gauteng Provincial Government’s infrastructure investment. On further inspection, the “special feature” cited is as a “partnership with the Gauteng provincial government” is an advertorial yet the top of the page states that the full-page feature is “news”.
The DA will therefore be filing a complaint with the Press Ombudsman, Mr Johan Retief, to adjudicate on this matter.
Section 2.4 of the Press Code states that “Editorial material shall be kept clearly distinct from advertising.” The Sunday Times, in our view, has not clearly distinguished that the page 8 feature as an advertorial.
The DA will always stand by and advocate for the freedom of the press, as protected by the Constitution. That said we will also raise our voice when we believe that the Fourth Estate has not acted in the spirit of the Press Code, which commits journalists and the media fraternity at large “to the highest standards, to maintain credibility and keep the trust of the public.”
Recently, the Sunday Times failed in its duty to inform its readers of a Department of Water and Sanitation advertorial titled #SAVEWATER, to which the DA filed a complaint (Reference 3697), to which the paper admitted that it “should have alerted [their] readers to the fact that the content was sponsored by an outside party”. Again, in this instance, readers are left confused about the content.
We hope that this matter is resolved with the seriousness it deserves and adjudicated in a constructive manner. The media plays a vital role in the advancement of democratic values by accurately, without bias, informing citizens of the issues that affect them on a daily basis.