The Black Business Council (BBC) said yesterday it condemned a media campaign led by amaBhungane against the Moti Group of companies.
It said the attacks followed a disturbing trend of racism and disregard of black business rights.
The BBC represents the voice and interests of over two million members at forums such as the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC).
After it had received dozens of similar complaints of racism, harassment, and unfair treatment by certain members of the media from its members, the BBC said it was now throwing its support behind the Moti Group in its ongoing legal battle against amaBhungane.
The BBC said in a statement that the Moti Group’s case formed part of a larger pattern of orchestrated attempts to de-legitimise black professionals, academics, and businesses.
“The BBC has taken note of the activities and actions of certain amaBhungane and Daily Maverick journalists, who have increasingly distinguished themselves by their almost singular focus on targeting black people for denigration, vilification, and badmouthing,” BBC President Elias Monage said in a statement.
“The invasion of privacy exemplified by the Moti Group’s case risks setting a dangerous precedent for other media to be tempted into seducing employees of companies into breaking the law and later avoiding justice by simply claiming to be whistle-blowers.
“But while the BBC supports press freedom, we will never accept the theft of information as a correct or standard practice of investigative journalism. We condemn amaBhungane’s actions as completely unacceptable,” he said.
The BBC said it would be engaging the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) to demand an explanation for its silence on the unsavoury practice of stealing information.
Monage cited a recent opinion piece published in Africa News Global by Dr Clyde Ramalaine titled: “Is amaBhungane entitled to hide behind 'investigative journalism' to veil its usefulness as a political tool, perhaps its raison detre? – The Moti Case”.
In this article, Dr Ramalaine said there need to be a clearer distinction drawn between how information was obtained and the actual content harvested, and warned against allowing media to be captured by outside interests or tangled in proxy wars.
BUSINESS REPORT