Press Council Orders Sunday Independent to Retract and Apologize for Defamatory Article Against Karyn Maughan

Following a complaint lodged by news outlet News24 and journalist Karyn Maughan, South Africa’s Press Council has delivered a landmark decision against the Sunday Independent. The ruling concerns an inflammatory opinion piece which alleged that Karyn Maughan operated as a propagandist in her coverage of the legal disputes involving Sekunjalo, the newspaper’s parent company.

The published article drew heated parallels between Maughan’s reporting and historical figures like Leni Riefenstahl and strategies such as apartheid-era Stratcom operations. This incendiary comparison, the Press Council found, lacked a factual basis and constituted an attack on Maughan’s personal and professional dignity.

The complaint also underscored the issue of the possible misuse of a pseudonym to deflect the ownership of the opinion piece in question, and further questioned the editorial integrity of the Independent Media group. However, deemed as lacking conclusive proof, the Press Council resolved to consider Phiri's authorship legitimate.

During the proceedings, Edmond Phiri, who presented himself as an "independent commentator and analyst," and Sizwe Dlamini, editor of the Sunday Independent, represented the respondents. They maintained the piece to be under the protective umbrella of opinion, despite its provocative language and assertions. The Council veered from this view, determining that the piece did not constitute protected comment as outlined by the Press Code, especially considering the sweeping nature of the attacks with limited substance to substantiate them.

The social media implications and the rampant sharing of the controversial article were also brought under scrutiny, pointing to a disturbing pattern of using journalistic platforms for safeguarding corporate interests, which amounts to a conflict of interest according to Section 2.1 of the Press Code.

The Council unanimously concluded that the publication did not exercise due care in concerns of dignity and reputation, breaching Clause 3.3 of the Press Code. As a sanction, the Sunday Independent, together with its associated outlets, have been instructed to retract the contentious column and issue a public apology to Ms. Maughan. This decision reflects the commitment to maintaining journalistic standards and protecting individuals from defamatory claims devoid of credible evidence.