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It was ‘unacceptable’ for government bodies to threaten the withdrawal of advertising from newspapers, the SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef) said yesterday, according to a report on the Mail & Guardian Online site.
This follows the view expressed by Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad that the government should consider withdrawing its advertising from the Sunday Times after the newspaper's publication of reports relating to Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's alleged behaviour in hospital, her alleged drinking, and theft conviction. It added: ‘Sanef notes with increasing alarm that certain provincial and local municipalities have also on occasion adopted, or have threatened to adopt, this form of sanction of newspapers for publishing material they find embarrassing to themselves’. It added withdrawal of advertising from a newspaper on commercial grounds was a normal risk carried by newspapers, but it was ‘unacceptable’ for public bodies to use this as a punitive measure to promote self-censorship.
Full report: http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx...news__national
This follows the view expressed by Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad that the government should consider withdrawing its advertising from the Sunday Times after the newspaper's publication of reports relating to Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's alleged behaviour in hospital, her alleged drinking, and theft conviction. It added: ‘Sanef notes with increasing alarm that certain provincial and local municipalities have also on occasion adopted, or have threatened to adopt, this form of sanction of newspapers for publishing material they find embarrassing to themselves’. It added withdrawal of advertising from a newspaper on commercial grounds was a normal risk carried by newspapers, but it was ‘unacceptable’ for public bodies to use this as a punitive measure to promote self-censorship.
Full report: http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx...news__national
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