You should care about media freedom- it's your freedom too
On Friday morning, the South Gauteng High Court granted the South African Editors' Forum an interdict against the group, Black First Land First. This is not a minor thing. It is a victory for media freedom in this country.
But it's a bitter sweet one. Because moments after the judgement was handed down, members of the BLF and the media were involved in a hectic verbal spat. The BLF members made it clear they will continue to target journalists who, according to them, protect white interest and corruption. Journalists at the court were told that they are hypocrites and that "white people are going to die with you".
So what does this say about how the BLF views the courts and what it is ultimately there to do? It demonstrates that the group has scant regard for the laws of the country and how it applies to them. The court says to the organisation: Stop harassing journalists - and it's as if this does not apply to them.
WATCH: Sparks fly after SANEF granted court interdict https://t.co/yifwfNLMP8. #SANEFvsBLF pic.twitter.com/sjZd64XhuL
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) July 7, 2017
This behaviour should worry us all, because for one, you deserve to be told the entire story. You deserve the truth South Africa. You deserve to be told what is happening in your country without fear, favour, harassment or intimidation. You deserve to know about the Gupta family's influence on your leaders, about cabinet ministers' involvement in things that are unsavoury, about deals being struck for personal and financial gain. You deserve to know all of this, because it is your right to know. And under a media that is threatened, bullied and harassed, it becomes even more important that these stories are being told. It means that people are feeling the heat, that panic is setting in and that feathers are being tremendously ruffled. It means that journalists are doing their jobs. But it also means that these are dangerous times for the pen to be mightier than the sword.
So many people have given their lives and made enormous sacrifices so that we can enjoy our democracy, our freedom. It cannot be eroded by the acts and threats of the BLF. People's homes cannot be invaded, families cannot be intimidated. And journalists cannot stay silent. We cannot allow it, we cannot condone it. We dare not stop telling the stories that you should know. Because it's not just our freedom, it is yours too.