The Association posted the following: ["INMA] understands how important trust is to news media. Given the opportunity to review info from all parties related to the concerns raised, our international judges have reconsidered the entry, and it is no longer a finalist.”
In a statement to Bizcommunity.com on the entry's removal, Sanef says: "We welcome the removal of the entry from the Awards. Sanef works hard towards ethical journalism and trust in the media, and this entry worked against two pivotal pillars."
Thie removal of the entry follows a previous INMA statement to Sanef, in response to its urgent appeal to remove the entry, that the video series would remain one of the nominees, entered under Best Use of Social Media category.
At the time Sanef responded: “We also find it entirely unsatisfactory that in its response, the INMA says the judges were 'judging the quality of the social media campaign - not the story itself."
According to Sanef, INMA further went on to state it is not in a position to reverse its jury’s decision to shortlist the social media campaign, given the information at its disposal during the judging process in February 2022.
"The additional context surrounding the story will be weighed in the ongoing process to select winners which will be announced by INMA in June 2022," said INMA as part of their response.
Sanef said this response is unfortunately not good enough for it, as it legitimises a campaign borne out of a story that has been proven not only to be ludicrous but also an embarrassment to South African journalism.
INMA recently announced the 333 finalists for the 2022 INMA Global Media Awards. The INMA Global Media Awards, which have been presented by INMA since 1937, received 854 entries from 252 news brands in 46 countries.
It says judging was held in February with 50 media experts from 24 countries and was focused across 20 categories including news brands, media platforms, subscriptions, advertising, data and insights, product, and newsrooms.
All entries in the competition are live on INMA.org in the Best Practices archive and finalists may be viewed publicly, while all INMA says it has over 7,200 “best practices” from the past decade of Global Media Awards competitions, sortable to finalists and winners, category, year, and country.
“The legitimacy of the entire so-called story has been called into question. As the June awards fast approach, we call on the INMA to reconsider its stance. The decuplets report has been condemned by the Gauteng Provincial Government, and the medical fraternity at large… with all key role players distancing themselves from it,” said Sanef.
Sanef further noted how Independent Media’s own internal ombudsman, in a ruling dated 5 July 2021, flagged the initial story as having ‘failed to pass the basic principles of journalism’ and amounted to a ‘hoax’.
“Unfortunately, the embarrassment continues as the same newspaper group, a paying member of INMA, continues to publish more stories that seek to purport the legitimacy of the decuplets’ so-called birth. It is important to note that the 10 babies are still to be seen and no proof has ever been provided that they do in fact exist," Sanef said.
Howard Feldman 25 Jun 2021
“This report has no basis in truth, is factually inaccurate and contributes to the spread of disinformation, deliberately misleading audiences. It’s now public knowledge and widely accepted that the piece perpetuates disinformation and has been flagged for its total lack of verification, and deeply questionable ‘sources’,” the Forum continued.
Sanef added that not only is it fake, but it is also dangerous. "It seriously sets back the advances made by the country in protecting women and children. Ethical journalism and building public trust are the cornerstones of good journalistic practices - yet this piece majestically fails at both."
