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And all this time, they said the problem was spin

12 Jul 2011

For a profession that is so reflective on the state of the world, South African journalism is sadly remiss in being reflective on the state of itself. This is a spin doctor's perspective on the current - probably temporary - crisis of conscience.

In the past few years - ever since I was accused of selling out on journalism and crossing some weird ethical line to become a spin doctor for the great and the good - I've sat on a number of panel discussions where journalists have debated the "dangers" of spin as if it were a viral aberration of global warming.

I've addressed seminars on how to see the telltale signs of spin doctors, how to decipher the truth and avoid being "spun". I've even addressed a conference on "Confessions of a Spindoctor", where participants paid R12 000 a day to hear people like me own up to telling a journalist or two that the truth we'd like them to hear wasn't exactly the whole truth or nothing but the truth.

...I'm sure there must be a reason, but there seems to be a real shortage of panel discussions on journalistic ethics at the moment. Or a seminar on how to ensure integrity in the gathering, checking and reporting of information. Or panel discussions on why self-regulation of the media is a good/bad idea.

Read the full opinion piece on www.thedailymaverick.co.za.

Source: Daily Maverick

Daily Maverick is a unique blend of news, information, analysis and opinion delivered from our newsrooms in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. There are many ways to describe exactly what we do (and for the price of a cup of coffee we’re capable of talking your ears off about it), but the best way to understand the end result is to experience it. Every part of Daily Maverick is free-to-air and no payment is required, although free registration is required for a small subset of functions and pages.

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Chris Vick

About Chris Vick

Chris Vick has spent seven years in the government communications environment. He has never attended a Cabinet meeting, nor has he attended a gathering addressed by Jimmy Manyi. He currently runs Black, a communications consultancy, and is looking forward to writing a regular column on the media and politics for iMaverick, the Daily Maverick's revolutionary new i-newspaper. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisvick3.