Duping the media: A cheap, exploitative shot

So when the international news stations declared a "News Alert" on Monday, shortly before 10am South African time, being that President Jacob Zuma would shortly be giving an update on Mandela during his scheduled news conference, naturally everybody paid attention.

An unprecedented international live screening of Zuma's "news conference" took place on pretty much every international channel. And the reason is obvious - they had been given strong indication that an update on Mandela's health was to be given, and this would in some way be different to that which we already knew.

What the world got instead was an opportunist piece of ANC propaganda - a 20-minute diatribe on why the ANC government should be valued, based on loose statistics of houses built and electricity provided since 1994. This was not the "monthly update" one would have expected had it truly been that - a talk to the immediate issues of the day, and an update on matters that have arisen and/or developed since the previous month's. No - it was a speech on what the ANC believes it has achieved over the past 19 years that should convince the nation - and of course, the world - to support it.

A tacky tactic

At the very end a 30-second 'update' on Nelson Mandela's health offered nothing. Not even as much as what was already well known. It was clear that Zuma and his camp had taken advantage of the world's interest in the very serious medical condition of a global icon to manipulate the world's media into giving them an incredibly powerful stage to broadcast their own sympathy-seeking message.

All the channels began to tune away from this diatribe after it became clear what it was. CNN stayed with it muted, hoping to catch the Mandela piece. Sky News and BBC went to altogether different items, choosing to broadcast the Mandela update later - for the worthlessness it was. But the opportunity had been taken and the objective achieved. The world's media had been duped.

An appallingly hypocritical and opportunistic punt for the party

We have heard for weeks the cries of foul by many that there is such a demand for knowledge of Mandela's moment-by-moment condition - not least of all by ANC spokespeople. We have been told that the government will update us only when there is important information with which to do so, and that we must respect the dignity and privacy of the man and his family. Are we to believe that, given the particular situation, Zuma and his aides were unaware that the massive media frenzy surrounding his "news conference" was specifically related to the Mandela condition? And that all the international broadcasters were on standby to broadcast it live under the banner "News Alert - Zuma news conference - Mandela critical?" Given their own statements, could they not have simply advised that there was not, in fact, to be any update on Mandela's condition?

The answer is clearly "No". In the most appalling, hypocritical and opportunist manner, they took advantage of the state of affairs, allowing the "misunderstanding" to continue long enough for the ANC to deliver its message. It surely is an absolute characterisation of the Zuma-led ANC - misleading, opportunistic and completely lacking in sensitivity, and out of touch with the national (and international) sentiment and interest. He should come under the appropriate degree of international derision for this cheap, opportunistic shot.