Ramaphosa warns newsroom losses weaken democracy

Black Wednesday plea urges safeguards for watchdog reporting amid funding woes, AI fakery and intimidation

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that newsroom job losses and the closure of community publications threaten democratic accountability, saying media freedom depends on journalists having the resources and independence to scrutinise those in power.

Speaking at a Black Wednesday commemoration with media leaders in Sandton on Monday, Ramaphosa called for sustained engagement between government, business, news organisations and digital platforms on the financial pressures facing journalism.

Any support, he said, had to protect editorial independence. The survival of a news organisation could not depend on whether its coverage pleased those providing the money.

The engagement marked 49 years since the apartheid government’s crackdown on the press on 19 October 1977, when publications were banned and journalists detained.

Ramaphosa acknowledged the contribution of journalists and independent publications to the liberation struggle, saying they had challenged official propaganda and exposed injustices despite censorship, intimidation and detention.

He said press freedom belonged to the public and was not a favour granted by political leaders.

“A free press is not one that praises government and praises government leaders,” he said.

Journalists had to be free to question the government, expose its failures and make those exercising power uncomfortable. Leaders, in turn, had to accept criticism as part of holding office.

Disagreement with reporting or an editorial judgment could not justify undermining media independence, he said.

Ramaphosa said constitutional safeguards were insufficient if newsrooms lacked the resources, capacity and independence to carry out their responsibilities.

He pointed to advertising revenue shifting from traditional news organisations towards large digital platforms, the loss of experienced journalists and the difficulties facing community and African language publications.

The closure of a local outlet deprived residents of information about municipal decisions, public spending and service failures, weakening their ability to demand answers from elected representatives.

“A community loses its voice when this happens, and when communities lose their voices, democracy itself is weakened,” he said.

He welcomed support arising from the Competition Commission’s inquiry into media and digital platforms but said it could not, on its own, resolve the industry’s financial challenges.

His remarks coincided with a call from the Press Council of South Africa for clear, consistent standards governing the transparent and equitable allocation of state advertising. In its Black Wednesday statement, the council urged support for community and local media that strengthened their independence.

Ramaphosa also condemned threats, harassment and online abuse directed at journalists. Political leaders had a responsibility to oppose intimidation, including when those responsible claimed to support their organisations.

He warned that artificial intelligence posed further risks to public trust by making it easier to manufacture convincing images, imitate voices and produce videos of events that never happened.

False information could spread before corrections emerged, causing damage that was difficult to reverse. Such manipulation was particularly dangerous during elections, when it could deepen divisions and distort voters’ choices.

Although AI offered journalists tools to analyse information, translate content and reach wider audiences, its misuse reinforced the importance of credible reporting.

Turning to the local government elections, Ramaphosa urged journalists to scrutinise candidates at ward level alongside the national political contest. They should examine candidates’ records, test their promises and ask how they intended to address specific problems in their communities.

He acknowledged that the ANC had fallen short in a number of municipalities it governed, citing residents’ frustration over water shortages, electricity interruptions, deteriorating roads and municipal accounts.

While municipalities faced financial constraints, he acknowledged that allocated money was not always properly spent.

The ANC would ultimately be judged by what happened in municipalities after the election rather than by the commitments in its manifesto, he said.