Question NW1023 to the Minister of Communications
19 June 2017 - NW1023
Schmidt, Adv H to ask the Minister of Communications
(1)What is the total number of media queries that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) received in the (a) 2016-17 financial year and (b) since 1 April 2017; (2) (a) how many of the media queries were responded to and (b)(i) how many were not responded to and (ii) why; (3) whether she has been informed that a certain person (name and details furnished) refuses to respond to media queries from certain journalists and has taken some journalists off the mailing list of the SABC?
Reply:
According to the SABC;
(1) Its Group communication department received approximately 144 written media queries and around 360 telephonic media queries during 2016-17 financial year, 24 written media queries and 42 telephonic media queries since 1 April 2017.
(2) The SABC strive to respond to all media queries within set timeframes, however, due to several challenges amongst others that some Journalists do not give SABC enough time to respond to queries and that some Journalists published articles before soliciting responses from the SABC, to name but a few, there are delays in responding to some queries.
(3) No, however, media list change from time to time due to the nature of business for example; with Journalists leaving their organisation