SABC8 wants direct access to Constitutional Court
Eight SABC journalists facing disciplinary action after questioning the SABC's editorial policy has filed an urgent application for direct access to the Constitutional Court.
The group wants the highest court in the land to declare the SABC's decision not to broadcast footage of violent protests as unconstitutional and invalid.
"They contend that the Policy places SABC journalists in an intolerable position because they are forced to “choose between protecting their jobs and adhering to their ethical and constitutional duties to truthfully and fairly report the news”," their legal representative said in a letter.
The letter states that the application relies, amongst others, on Section 16 (1) of the Constitution of South Africa which guarantees the rights of journalists and the public to freedom of expression.
In the application, the SABC8 states: “The SABC is not merely a broadcast service provider. It is the public broadcaster. The SABC supplies the majority of South Africans with news and information. The role of the SABC should be understood in the context of the constitutionally entrenched right of freedom of the press and the freedom to receive or impart information.”
They add that "at present, SABC journalists “are unable to engage in meaningful debate and discussion, even internally, regarding the wisdom of the [SABC’s] Policy."