Memorandum of Understanding between members of the Presidential
Press Corps and Government
April 2003
Background
and rationale
The idea of
the Presidential Press Corps was born out of engagements between
the South African National Editors' Forum and the government during
2001. It Is recognised that while, as in any democracy, there is
a necessary tension between the government and the media, this need
not be characterised by animosity as all sides are working towards
the same goal of building a vibrant democracy that faces up to the
challenge of reversing poverty and underdevelopment.
It is agreed
that the country's most senior political writers should form into
a corps which would, in a systematic way, be able to access information
and gain a greater understanding of the work of government.
Membership
Membership of
the Presidential Press Corps will be open to all bona fide South
African journalists or journalists working for South African media
institutions who have been nominated by their respective editors.
While editors will have full discretion on their nominations, nominations
will have to take into account the limitation of facilities.
Security
clearance
As mutually
agreed between Sanef and the government, potential members of the
PPC will have to pass a minimum level of security clearance, equivalent
to the Parliamentary Gallery Association (known as "confidential
access"). Should a nominee fail to secure clearance, this will
be communicated to the nominee first, and if need be, his/her editor
by the relevant government institution. Such a nominee will have
the right to appeal.
During the process
of security clearance, the rights of the nominee to privacy shall
be respected and the Constitutional principles of Freedom of Expression
shall be adhered to. At the same time the responsibility of the
organs of the state to ensure the security of elected leaders shall
be recognized.
The process
shall be conducted within the spirit of the Union Buildings engagement
and the Sun City "Way Forward" document: to "facilitate
access
to information".
Operation
The pivot of
the PPC will be weekly briefings by senior members of government
including the President, Deputy President, Ministers and Directors-General.
These briefings, to be conducted a centralised venue at a stipulated
regular time, will be deemed to be on the record unless indicated
otherwise. When the need arises for off-the-record briefings or
information, the necessity and nature of these will be negotiated
with the relevant government official(s).
The off the
record briefings will take two forms:
- Off the record
and not for attribution: Information may be used but not attributed
to a particular individual. Precise sourcing to be agreed by both
sides.
- Off the record
and not for use: Information is purely for background and may
not be used until further notice. This would not preclude individuals
from securing information through other avenues, as long as this
does not constitute follow up deriving from the off-the-record
(not for use) briefing. Both sides will strive to minimize the
latter option as it is not ideal for flow of information.
Those PPC members
who may feel they have principled objections to the latter Option
in any particular instance, will be obliged to respect the negotiated
arrangement. Failure to abide by the negotiated arrangements could
result in sanction after due discussion and reflection by members
of the PPC.
The spirit underlying
the briefings will be the need to facilitate the flow of information
to the public.
Logistics
Media companies
shall be responsible for the financial and logistical arrangements
of running the PPC. The government will however be expected to provide
certain facilities such as a briefing room and a limited but reasonable
range of working and filing facilities. The extent of these facilities
will be the subject of an ongoing negotiation between the government
and a representative structure of the PPC and a recognized structure
of the industry. At all times it will be understood that government
will bear minimal financial burden for the functioning of the PPC.
It is mutually
understood that media houses shall be responsible for returning
PPC passes to government upon the resignation of their PPC representative
from their company. Such a journalist could be re-admitted to the
PPC upon the recommendation of his or her new media house.
Travel
As the primary
rationale for the PPC is improved access to information, there will
be occasion for members to travel with the President, Deputy President
and Ministers both domestically and internationally. Government
will endeavour to provide an annual calendar of important international
engagements by the President, the Deputy President and Ministers.
This will be regularly updated. Members of the PPC will recognize
and respect that there will be times when - for security reasons
- the travel arrangements are not to made public information. The
government will be encouraged to provide full consular facilities
for members of the PPC traveling with a government delegation.
It is understood
that confidential access does not guarantee traveling with the President
personally.
PPC members
will liaise with the relevant government office as to the optimal
travel and accommodation arrangements as well as transport logistics
at a said destination. Members of the PPC traveling with the President
and/or a government delegation will receive one or more briefings
per day from government representatives where practicable. The President
will also attempt to provide at least one comprehensive briefing
during a said foreign visit. The nature of these briefings will
be conducted along the guidelines detailed under Operations.
Media houses
will at all times bear the costs of travel and there will be no
obligation on government to facilitate travel for any member/ members
of the PPC unless otherwise negotiated with representatives of the
PPC or a recognized structure of the industry. The relevant modus
operandi with regard to financial arrangements will be negotiated
with GCIS.
At all times
interaction between members of government ministers/officials and
members of the PPC on foreign travel will be guided by the principle
of improving access to accurate information.
Functioning
The PPC will
elect an Executive Committee, which will serve as a link between
government and the broader corps.
Code of Conduct
PPC member will
adopt a Code of Conduct, elements of which will include:
- Normal adherence
to journalistic principles and ethics
- Observance
of on/off record, embargo agreements
- Protocol
in briefing room (cell phone interruption, rowdiness, etc)
- Broadly
accepted protocols and standards of behaviour in relation to state
functions.
Sanction for
those who violate the code could range from a mere reprimand, exclusion
from one or more briefings or suspension from the PPC. The entire
process will be conducted transparently and the said individual's
editor will be kept abreast at every stage of the process so as
to avoid victimization or suspicion thereof. In the event of a severe
sanction, there will be appeal mechanisms the nature of which should
be deliberated upon by the PPC, media houses and recognized structures
of the industry.
It should however
be borne in mind that the primary enforcers of acceptable and professional
behaviour remain the media institutions who employ members of the
PPC and a code of conduct will therefore have to secure the support
of the media houses.
In addition
to the above, government reserves the right to adopt its own sanctions
against any PPC member who is deemed by his/her peers to have violated
the Code of Conduct.
Conclusion
The existence
of the PPC does not in any way render the normal engagement between
the media and the government obsolete. Normal arrangements between
the media and the government, which have hitherto existed, will
remain in place.
Individual journalists
will still continue to have their individual engagements with government
officials and departments.
Source: GCIS
top
|
