Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

by PDBY Staff | Sep 7, 2010 | Uncategorized

There are always three sides to a story. Party A, party B and the truth.

I would like to explain a couple of basic media principles to you today because it seems like not everyone understands our role. Firstly we aren’t here to judge anyone or any situation. The media is here to inform the public of stories that exists within the public interest.

If a person in a Toyota car runs over a dog in the street and the media reports on it, you can’t go ahead and blame the media for the death of the dog. We are only telling you that a dog has been killed by a car. You can also not go around and say that everyone that drives a Toyota is a dog killer. Now you have to understand that stories develop through time as more people come to the front and that no editor or journalist will be able to give you exactly all of the details within the first story.

This is why when you pick up different copies of the same newspaper you will see a story developing as more info becomes available. The initial story might claim that a Toyota driver ran over a dog, as witnessed by a resident student.

The next day you might hear that the driver was in fact under the infl uence of alcohol as confi rmed by a police report. Then the next day you might fi nd out that the dog actually had rabies and was a threat to the public. And so the story grows, updated in every issue of the newspaper with the latest developments.

Perdeby is in no way different to any other newspaper and the stories that appear in the newspaper often follow the same line as mentioned above. With the story that was published on the front page of isue 15 on 22 August it is exactly the same.

That is why we are publishing the letter from Xayata (Glaskas) chairperson Vusi Ernest Maupa. We here at Perdeby believe that every person is entitled to their right of opinion and fair feedback and it is important to give you as reader all the different sides of a story.

We only provide what we know (information gained from sources) and it is up to you as reader to interpret all the info and make up you own mind. At the same time it is your responsibility to inform us if you know more on a story, especially if it is within the public interest. With this being said, I stand by what was published in the paper (as one side of the story) and would like you as reader to consider what is written below (the other side of the story).

I respect Vusi as a person who approached this whole sensitive matter in a civilized manner and thus no one at the newspaper condemns anyone as we were not at the actual disciplinary hearing.

What I can tell you though is that something isn’t right because the UP management could’ve easily made a statement to confirm or deny this matter and they have not been willing to do either at this point. I would like to highlight the fact that no mention was made to race in the article and the individual involved was never named.

We also never implied that Xayata was at fault. We merely stated that the involved party was a resident of the res. Further I would like to assure you as reader that Perdeby operates as an objective entity that is not afraid to take on matters that affect you as student, be it UP management or anyone else. We subscribe to the principle of media freedom, aren’t censored or infl uenced by anyone and look out for your best interest.

So if you have something that you think isn’t right I encourage you to get into contact with us and we will look into the matter. And if we don’t get the entire story right the fi rst time come and talk to us so we can get all sides and make the truth be known.

This is your paper, not the management of UP’s. It is your right to know what is going on on your campus.

Due to space limitations I will upload the Perdeby code of conduct onto our website so everyone can see the what we abide by. Go to www.perdeby.co.za and click on this editorial to view it.

CAREL WILLEMSE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Code of Conduct

Perdeby

Gedragskode

  1. We strive to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards.
  2. We will defend the principles guarding freedom of expression during information gathering and reportage.  We will do this with an uncompromising dedication to accuracy and being factual, while maintaining integrity, and by demonstrating transparency by being fair and unbiased.
  3. Any person or institution that is implicated in reportage, shall be afforded the right to reply and the right to respond.  Failure to reply, could then be reflected as such in the reportage.
  4. As a service provider and mouthpiece for the greater student body, our core focus is to inform and entertain.  This responsibility will be undertaken within the value systems of the University of Pretoria.
  5. Clear distinction should at all times be indicated, regarding which content is news, editorial, comment, advertorial/promotional, advertising, or paid-for space.
  6. We strive to present our audience with news and newsworthy content, which would be of interest to that audience, and presented in a bilingual manner (English and Afrikaans).
  7. Only if it is strictly relevant, shall there be mention of a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status (or lack of it).  Journalist will refrain from any content, which encourages discrimination, ridicule, prejudice or hatred amongst any of the above-mentioned levels.
  8. Editorial staff and journalists have the right to protect confidential sources.
  9. No journalist or any editorial staff member shall accept bribes or allow incentive of any kind to influence professional conduct.  Any gifts or favours have to be declared to the editor or editor-in-chief.
  10. Any distortion or suppression of the truth due to advertising or other considerations is a transgression of the code.  To this end all journalist should refrain from active party political involvement.
  11. Content may not infringe upon private grief and distress of individuals or groups, subject to the justification by overriding considerations of the public interest.
  12. Any harmful inaccuracies shall be rectified promptly.
  13. No photograph shall be manipulated unless such a photograph is clearly labelled as such. Manipulation does not refer to normal dodging, burning, colour balancing, spotting, contrast adjustment, cropping and obvious masking for legal or safety reasons.
  1. Ons strewe is die handhawing van uitnemende professionele en etiese maatstawwe.
  2. Ons sal die beginsels beskerm wat uitdrukkingsvryheid in die loop van insameling en beriggewing verskans.  Ons sal dit met beginselvaste toewyding doen, ter wille van akkuraatheid en feitelikheid, met die behoud van eerbaarheid, deursigtigheid, regverdigheid en sonder vooroordeel.
  3. Enige persoon of instelling wat by wyse van verslaggewing geïmpliseer word, sal die reg tot kommentaar en repliek hê.  Enige weiering tot repliek, kan dan so in die verslaggewing aangedui word.
  4. As diensverskaffer en spreekbuis vir die breër studentegemeenskap, is ons kernfokus daarop gerig om in te lig en te vermaak.  Hierdie verant-woordelikheid word binne die waardestelsels van die Universiteit van Pretoria onderneem.
  5. Daar behoort te alle tye ‘n duidelike onderskeid te wees ten opsigte van nuusinhoud, redaksionele kommentaar, promosie, reklame, of betaalde ruimte.
  6. Dit is ons strewe dat die gehoor met nuus en nuuswaardige inhoud bedien sal word, wat van belang is vir die gehoor en tweetalig aangebied word (Afrikaans en Engels).
  7. Daar sal slegs verwys word na ‘n persoon se ras, geslag, seksuele voorkeur, ouderdom, gestremdheid, huwelikstatus (of nie) indien dit uiters relevant is. Joernaliste sal hulle weerhou van enige inhoud wat diskriminasie, bespotting, vooroordeel of haat enigsins onder bg. vlakke kan aanwakker.
  8. Die redaksie en joernaliste het die reg om vertroulike bronne te beskerm.
  9. Geen joernalis of redaksielid mag hom aan omkopery skuldig maak, of toelaat dat enige aansporing sy professionele gedrag beïnvloed nie.  Alle geskenke of gunste moet aan die redakteur of hoofredakteur verklaar word.
  10. Enige verdraaiing of onderdrukking van die waarheid ter wille van adverteerders of ander oorwegings is teenstrydig met die kode.  Vir hierdie doel sal alle joernaliste hulle van aktiewe party-politiek weerhou.
  11. Inhoud mag nie inbreek maak op persoonlike of groepsdroefheid en -nood nie, onderhewig aan die oorheersende regverdiging op grond van openbare belang.
  12. Enige skadelike onakkuraatheid sal spoedig reggestel word.
  13. Geen foto’s sal gemanipuleer word nie, tensy dit duidelik as sodanig uitgewys word.  Manipulering sluit egter gewone kontrasaan-   passing, kleurbalans, komposisie-aanpassing, of ooglopende maskering vir regs- of veiligheids-oorwegings uit.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

VOORWAARDES: Enige joernalis wat hierdie gedragskode ten dele of in sy geheel skend, kan dissiplinêr vervolg word.  ‘n Proses wat kan lei tot skorsing van die redaksie en selfs die universiteit.

CONDITIONS:  Any journalist who violates the code of conduct in part or in total could face disciplinary prosecution, which could lead to suspension from Perdeby editorial body or even from the University of Pretoria.

PDBY Staff
Website | view posts