EFF vs media: the media is not objective

The South African National Editor's Forum and journalists laid a complaint at the Equality Court against the EFF and Julius Malema regarding threats and intimidation against journalists. 

With threats and counter legal action, how can any journalist be objective about the EFF? Recently Andrew Donaldson again wrote about the EFF – the third time in a month – from the safety of Brexit Blighty (he emigrated in December). It's unlikely a writer with an axe to grind would be published, as I know from personal experience.  But revealing media disingenuity and agendas, anything against the EFF is fair game.

Max du Preez is listed as a complainant against EFF. But in the form of specious “analysis” he publically supported President Cyril Ramaphosa, aka Ramaposter, and ANC for 2019’s general elections. Peter Bruce is not among the complainants but also endorsed Ramaposter.

Once upon a time Karima Brown, now a self-described “political analyst”, and Independent Media colleague Vukani Mde attended an ANC rally and sat on the stage with the then controversy-wracked and corrupt President Jacob Zuma wearing ANC T-shirts. Around this time she and Mde wrote an op-ed describing an alleged CIA-led plot against the ANC and left.

The media including complainants listed against the EFF has been captured by the ANC's narrative and hegemony. While Malema's, EFF's and their supporters' threats against specific journalists is rightly condemned, is the media objective about the EFF or any non-ANC party? Are any of them independent and without agendas? No.  Even the DA has at times complained they’re treated poorly while, when it suits the media, the EFF is by turns indulged and treated like naughty schoolchildren when it suits the media, or called fascists.

The EFF are agents of and thrive on chaos. They're no different to immature fallists who got what they wanted with the chaos they created on campuses around the country, except the EFF has a shrewd strategy of sorts. I doubt they plan it out exactly, but they've successfully used it to great effect since formation, in and out of the National Assembly.

The fallists reference is not a casual one either. Fallist riots caused almost R700 million in damage and lost time and opportunity – sedition really – but not one was prosecuted, the state exonerating them. And as Sara Gon recently described, they’re not clear about their beliefs or have a uniform and identified organisational structure.

But the media initially encouraged them and still today subscribe to their philosophy, if that's what one calls it, of racism and racial exclusion. (I was banned from The Conversation after complaining about a writer’s obsequious misuse of fallist terminology and the site censoring criticism of that.)

But the EFF is vilified – Donaldson called them “orcs” – and legal action taken against for, so far, no extra-parliamentary physical violence. I'm not defending their threats and intimidation against journalists and hope it doesn't escalate. But I ask the media what part they played in this feud. They (media and journalists) have not and are not objective in terms of the black sheep EFF vs the rest of the ANC/left group as the media has not been objective about anything that doesn't pertain to the mainstream ANC/left’s narrative.

The Mail & Guardian has a special in December titled “uncaptured” (sic), i.e. free from corruption. A section was devoted to the media. I thought it was about how the media is now free from being captured, but apparently (I didn't read it), it's about the media's contribution to South Africa becoming free. Daily Maverick's editor Branko Brkic and others are featured. While the media especially Guptaleaks emails played a significant role in uncovering state, Zuma and ANC corruption, they're still captured by the ANC's narrative.

In an editorial last week Brkic lists Ramaphosa (and his team) as “person of the year”.  Given the media’s ANC-bias, does he mean “newsmaker of the year”, or is this a Du Preez and Bruce-type election endorsement?

Insults and empty threats are the lubricant of politics. Unfortunately, it and violence are not unusual in South Africa but usually targeted at political opponents. But social media has opened a new outlet and opportunity for all comers. It’s ironic the EFF is (rightly) condemned on media and social media sites, but among the same group of commentators are people personally insulted public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, and Helen Zille’s critics, for her finding against Zille calling her a “racist”, “cretin”, “nitwit”, “useless puppet”, etc all for doing her job, even if one disagrees with the outcome.

I’d say people in glass houses must be careful.