Ombudsman ruling a victory for accurate reporting

12 February 2016

We were very satisfied by the Press Ombudsman ruling re the complaint jointly laid last year by the Board and SAZF against The Star. This substantially upheld our objections, namely that two news reports had grossly misrepresented what South Africa’s official policy was concerning arrest warrants issued by Turkey against four IDF commanders. The complaint on the same issue lodged against the Cape Times by the SAZF (Western Cape) was also upheld. Our press statement on the ruling can be viewed on our Facebook, while for the full finding, visit www.presscouncil.org.za. Generally speaking, we do not look to go to war with the media, preferring rather to maintain amicable channels of communication through which to address differences when that do arise (usually through the paper concerned publishing a counter view. In this case, we felt that the breach of accepted journalistic standards by the reporter concerned was sufficiently egregious to warrant making an approach to the Press Council. The outcome has reaffirmed that while media independence is non-negotiable, the media itself must strive to uphold appropriate standards of accuracy and fairness in its news reporting.   

Recent Articles

Above Board 27 August

August 29, 2025

Desperate Dangor’s antizionist rant

In recent weeks, the SAJBD has observed a rise in increasingly hostile efforts to challenge the perspectives of our community organisations and silence “mainstream” Jewish voices. In this case, “mainstream” Jewish refers to community members who are traditionally Jewish in observance (be it orthodox or progressive), and Zionist in orientation. Yet, the discourse has shifted, increasingly framing Zionism itself as beyond acceptable bounds, thereby deeming aligned groups inherently problematic. What stands out, however, is that the campaign against mainstream Jewry is increasingly desperate, incoherent, and too often driven by a quest for attention rather than substantive dialogue.

Read more

Above Board 21 August 2025

August 22, 2025

Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending and presenting at Limmud, an event that over the years has truly become a cornerstone of our communal calendar. It stands as the most invigorating platform we have for exploring the rich diversity of Jewish views and topics that shape our community, dealing with issues that simply aren’t addressed with such depth and openness in any other forum.

Read more