La commandante VC, I acknowledge your support for journalists who are not only our colleagues but our fellow proletarians. It is our revolutionary duty to support and defend all forums that stands and support democratic values.
Insulting statements and the empiricist approach of the YL seeks to achieve nothing but to suppress the core values of our democracy. I felt it imperative to align myself with the voice of reason and support the journalists in this instance. We are living in modern times and I hope our cdes in the YL would understand that modernism is all about tolerance. As i'm about to exit, cdes should know that revolution is not suppressing descending views but a moribund change of society into a better one. Socialismo o muerte, Hasta siempre VC. Avant garde!!! Sent from my Nokia phone -----Original Message----- From: Dominic Tweedie Sent: 17/03/2010 21:54:08 Subject: Re: [YCLSA Discussion] Why is Floyd Shivambu digging for dirt on journos? Comrades of the YCL Discussion forum, I want you to know that I am in support of these journalists andopposed to the insulting statement subsequently sent out by the ANCYouth League, which I have also posted on the forum. It is not our job to make war on journalists. Our job on this forum is to discuss, practice, exercise our ideas andour skills, and thereby learn to write better, but not to destroy thesemedia workers, who are our colleagues. If it should come to pass that some of us are appointed media officers(as has already happened to several of us), then our job is to informthe journalists, and not to make war on them. We as communists must support these journalists, comrades. This is all I can manage to say at this time. VC Dominic Tweedie wrote: [Politicsweb banner] Why is FloydShivambu digging for dirt on journos? 19politicalcorrespondents submit letter of complaint to the ANC Mail & Guardian,Daily Maverick, Politicsweb, Johannesburg, 17 March 2010 COMPLAINT AGAINST THEANC YOUTH LEAGUE We wish to lodge a formal complaint against ANC youth leaguespokesman Floyd Shivambu, who last week threatened several journalistswhen heattempted to "leak" a so called dossier to certain reporters. His behaviour constitutes an attack on several freedomsincluding media freedom, and presents a danger to constitutionalprovisionsSouth Africans enjoy. It also amounts to intimidation especially if oneconsiders his threat to make public so called embarrassing informationaboutthe private lives of reporters. As political journalists we reject anyone within our rankswho accepts money or payment for writing slanted stories. We hold nobrief forcorrupt individuals within our fraternity and encourage anyone who canproveinstances where ethics have been violated to report it to the relevantauthorities including editors and watch dog bodies that regulate ourprofession. However, we believe that Shivambu's actions was less aboutexposing unethical behaviour in the media, and had more to do withwanting tosilence us with threats of public embarrassment over our private lives.We wishto place it on record that Shivambu's efforts sought to intimidatepoliticaljournalists from doing their legitimate work. Last week Shivambu approached several journalists with a"dossier" on City Press journalist Dumisane Lubisi, which he claimscame into the youth league's possession anonymously. He provided noproof of theallegations contained in the document, but insisted that theinformationcontained therein was true. He then threatened the reporters whoexpressedconcern over the accuracy of the information saying "you next" whenthey expressed reservations about the veracity of his claims and saidtheywould not run the stories. Shivambu's efforts to bully reporters is the latest in aseries of attacks on journalists by the ANC youth league. At a recentpressconference addressed by ANC president Julius Malema, some youth leaguefigures,including Malema accused journalist's unethical behaviour andthreatened toarrest those caught in alleged wrongdoing. He hurled abuse and launchedpersonal attacks on individual journalists. Comments about theirsalaries,credit worthy status and sexual behaviour were made without a shred ofevidence. Of concern is the youth league's apparent access toconfidential information relating the private lives of journalists. Thecandourwith which they rattled off confidential information points to a largersinister pattern. If one accepts even for a minute that any of theinformationin the ANC youth league's possession is true, questions arise about howit wasaccessed and how a political organization could obtain it withoutbreaking thelaw. We believe that if the actions of the youth league remainunchecked, it could put SA on a slippery slide where the lives ofjournalistscould be in danger and media freedom eroded. We demand that Shivambu issue a public apology for hisactions. Furthermore the ANC youth league is obliged to reveal how ithadreceived the information and whether state or other resources were usedtoillegally intrude into the private lives of journalists and otherindividualswho may not agree with its activities. We call on the ANC and the league to distance itself fromShivambu's shameful actions. Undersigned by: Business Day:Karima Brown, Wilson Johwa IndependentNewspapers: Moshoeshoe Monare, Gaye Davis, Xolani Mbanjwa andCarien duPlessis Mail and Guardian:Rapule Tabane and Mandy Rossouw The Times/ SundayTimes: Moipone Malefane, Sthembiso Msomi and Nkululeko Ncana 702: StephenGrootes City Press:Moffet Mofokeng, Piet Rampedi, Dumisane Lubisi, Japhet Ncube, GeorgeMatlala Media24: ChandrePrince eNews: HajraOmarjee From: http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71654?oid=166555&sn=Detail (http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71654?oid=166555&sn=Detail) -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or replyto this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forumfor different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . You don't have to putanything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in themessage part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address(repeat): [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . ------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG - www.avg.com (http://www.avg.com) Version: 9.0.791 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2752 - Release Date: 03/17/10 09:33:00 -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
