South African Radio Station Fined for Unflattering Mention of
Islam
By Andrew E. Harrod
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission
of South Africa (BCCSA)
fined in an judgments South
African radio broadcaster for making an "unjustifiable connection with
Islam" during news reports.
This punitive second-guessing of journalistic
conduct with respect to referencing background material such as a religion
entails the most negative of consequences for a crucially important unhindered
discussion of Islam.
BCCSA fined the public broadcaster SAfm R10, 000 each for two violations of
South Africa's Broadcasting Code on May 24, 2013. The complainant, SAMNET (South
African Muslim Network), charged in the first instance that a SAfm noon bulletin discussed "immigrants
protesting in Switzerland about employment and other issues." The clip
stated that the "protesters were not linked to any religion even though
some Muslims were present." "By inference…members of other religious
groups" unnamed were present. This "blatant prejudicial
reporting…casts Muslims in a negative light."
The second SAMNET accusation involved an afternoon news report
of two men arrested for endangering a Pakistan-United Kingdom flight. Various
news reports described "British nationals" involved in a "criminal
offense" with no "terrorism angle." Yet SAfm linked the flight
with the May 22 London
murders of British soldier Lee Rigby described by SAfm's announcer as
"perpetrated by two Islamic extremists." SAMNET objected that no
information tied the episode to terrorism or Islam, and thereby "adding to
the already anger [sic] against Muslims…after the Boston and Woolwich
incidents, SAFM news is perpetuating misconceptions and prejudice."
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