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South African media branded racist
The South African Human Rights Commission has accused the country's media of racism, and has blamed it for stereotypical and prejudicial reporting.
In a report out today, the commission said that while journalists were explicitly not racists, they came to their work with an unconscious attitude that was negative.
The commission said there were regular stories on how Africans threatened South Africa, such as one story headlined: "Evil minded Nigerians blamed for violence". The media was also charged with portraying corruption as a black issue, trivialising the death of black people and treating black and while journalists differently. In evidence to the commission, the Black Lawyers Association and the Association of Black Accountants of South Africa said that opinion and free expression were being stifled by the fact that the country's main media outlets were still mainly owned by whites.
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