The country’s editors met in Johannesburg to discuss the state of journalism, the impact of billionaires on the idea of truth, information integrity, wayward podcasters and what needs to be done to future-proof this noble sector.
It was agreed that information integrity has never been more important. It is the essence of our service to democracy. It matters what citizens consume. When the most powerful politician in the world and the world’s richest person can agree on the existence of a “genocide” against Afrikaners when the truth is that they, like everyone else, are victims of crime, it signifies how important journalism is to the world.
Regardless of what the billionaires who own social media platforms and other merchants of misinformation want us to believe, we have a duty to stay true to telling the South African — and Africa’s — story as honestly as possible. We may always have known that journalism is a force for good, but that force is under siege today in ways unimaginable not too long ago.
This is why everyone must diligently use the power of the platforms at their disposal to push back against those who profit from misinformation online. We must use this power robustly but fairly. We must distinguish ourselves from wayward podcasters relying on misogyny, exploiting stereotypes and violating every ethical code to make a quick buck.
We must show we understand that words, used with circumspection, matter.
Enoch Sontonga used words more than over 100 years ago to craft what today has become the framework of our national anthem. He may not have known then that his words would inspire generations, be a source of hope years after his death. Nelson Mandela used his words to foster reconciliation. Thabo Mbeki told us of two nations in one.
The generation of today has an opportunity to choose and use words in a way that impacts society positively and for posterity. We may, like Sontonga, never know how our words will be received by future generations. What we must never do is allow billionaires like Elon Musk and other merchants of misinformation to imperil our democracy through distortions and downright lies for selfish reasons.
The theme for the Sikuvile Awards this year, “Guardians of Democracy: Upholding Integrity in a Changing World”, could not be more fitting. This year being our democracy’s 31st anniversary, tonight holds special resonance. Thirty-one years is a testament to our nation’s resilience and progress, where the media have rightly been hailed as guardians of democracy.
Over the past three decades, our media has held power to account, uncovered inconvenient truths and shaped the nation’s conscience. You, the storytellers, are our guardians, upholding values of transparency and justice in an ever-changing political and socioeconomic landscape. Above all, you are giving voice to the voiceless and shedding light on uncomfortable truths.
Across the globe, the landscape has become increasingly perilous for journalists. The last three years, from June 2022 to June 2025, have seen an alarming toll on our colleagues worldwide. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 129 journalists and media workers were killed in 2023, and another 122 in 2024. These figures paint a stark picture of the dangers we face.
The last three years, from June 2022 to June 2025, have seen an alarming toll on our colleagues worldwide. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 129 journalists and media workers were killed in 2023, and another 122 in 2024. These figures paint a stark picture of the dangers we face
Nowhere has this brutal reality been more starkly illuminated than in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza. Since October 7 2023, the IFJ reports, that at least 184 journalists and media workers have been killed there, in the conflict, with more than 170 of them being Palestinian.
These brave individuals were not only reporting from a war zone but were often targeted, labelled partisans, and, tragically, many were killed along with their families. Their deaths are an unbearable loss to the profession and to the world’s ability to understand the truth of that devastating conflict.
But the perils extend beyond Gaza. In war zones across Africa journalists continue to pay the ultimate price. In Sudan, since the war erupted in April 2023, at least nine journalists have been killed, courageously reporting from a conflict often overlooked by the international community. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a nation grappling with persistent conflict, we sadly lost at least two journalists, including Tabita Fabiola in August 2023 and Yoshua Kambere Machozi in October 2024, as they strove to bring critical information to light.
This grim reality underscores a fundamental obligation recognised by international law. As Unesco director-general Audrey Azoulay powerfully states: “Reliable information is vital in conflict situations to help affected populations and to enlighten the world. It is unacceptable that journalists pay with their lives for this work. I call on all states to step up and ensure the protection of media workers, in accordance with international law.” We echo this call.
Let us continue serving the public interest through fearless storytelling, safeguard our integrity and hold fast to the ideals of our craft. Let us raise our voices against impunity, demand accountability for those who target journalists, and advocate for stronger protections against all forms of threats, old and new.
Through the Sikuvile Journalism Awards, we appreciate that South African journalists may not face literal bombs, but they face many existential challenges. Challenges to disrupted business models. Threats of physical violence. Cyberbullying and many more.
These awards are meant to say to South African journalists: we know you put in more hours than our companies can pay for; we know you toil harder because of diminished capacity in newsrooms and we know that you deserve much more than the industry can put on the table. We know you do this because you care deeply about our country.
Never tire of from doing the mandatory fact-checking and the muckraking that put great investigative stories on the table. Go forth, you guardians of our democracy. Use your words to tell the South African story with diligence and, in this way, put to shame merchants of misinformation. Sikuvile, indeed.
• This is an edited speech delivered by Sefara at the Standard Bank Sikuvile Awards in Johannesburg on Saturday
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