@Phrexa23 @phrexa23 - Twitter Profile

phrexa23 retweeted

about 1 month ago

Dear @eNCA, I am deeply ashamed by the type of journalism displayed in this clip. As a trained journalist, and as a former eNCA journalist myself, I must say this is dangerous and highly questionable conduct, especially when a media crew is no longer merely documenting events, but appears to be facilitating or legitimising harassment. There is a major difference between reporting on an incident and becoming part of the theatre of intimidation. If a legal migrant is being surrounded, threatened or humiliated by a vigilante group, the role of journalists should be to document what is happening accurately, safely and fairly, while remaining conscious that the vulnerable person may already be under pressure or fear. Once a crew starts staging interactions, shoving microphones into faces in a way that amplifies intimidation, or giving a vigilante leader a platform without challenge or context, you cross from journalism into participation. It becomes even more problematic in South Africa, where xenophobic violence has previously led to deaths, displacement and mob attacks against African migrants, including Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Somalis and others, many of whom were legally documented, just like this man appears to be. Media coverage in such contexts requires extreme caution because images and narratives can inflame public hostility. Journalists can and should interview all sides, including controversial or vigilante figures, because journalism often requires engaging difficult voices. But ethical reporting also requires balance, context and humanity. A migrant should not be turned into a spectacle while the aggressor is normalised as an authority figure. Your crew should have avoided creating conditions where the victim felt cornered, exposed or endangered simply because cameras were present, with microphones repeatedly shoved between him and the aggressor. I am deeply embarrassed by the conduct of this eNCA crew. You should be ashamed of this type of journalism. This is precisely the kind of irresponsible media conduct that has historically inflamed violence in societies under tension. Journalists must never become participants in intimidation campaigns. In this clip, you are no longer acting as observers. You become actors within the confrontation itself, helping create a public theatre where a man who is legally in your country is harassed by an ignorant vigilante who does not even understand the law governing immigration and business ownership. A documented immigrant in South Africa has the legal right to start a business unless the conditions of their visa explicitly prohibit it. That is the law. Journalism must expose intimidation, not become the microphone of xenophobic vigilantism.