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For Lee Circumnavigator 
4h ago
Durban – Independent news broadcaster eNCA which has faced backlash online after a news clip emerged from one of its reporters asking a black politician to wear a face mask during an interview , while a white politician was allowed to go without a mask, the reporter’s conduct said “It was not racially motivated or with malicious intent.”
ENCA Senior Journalist Lindsay Dentlinger was conducting interviews about the 2021 Budget Speech on the steps of Parliament.
In one clip, which went viral and led the news station to trending on Twitter under the hashtag #eNCAmustfall, it shows FF Plus frontman Pieter Groenewald being interviewed without a mask. When the UDM vice president, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, arrived in his turn to be interviewed, he was asked to put on the mask.
This led to accusations of racial bias against the station, and Twitter users cited other examples of its “double standards.”
So eNCA has been doing this for a while !!! 🤔🤔🤔 #NCA #eNCAMUSTFALL #eNCAtrash pic.twitter.com/I9b2aeIPx4
– # BlackExcellence ™ 🌍 (@Sakhi_Afrika) February 25, 2021
In a statement Thursday night, the broadcaster said it understood how the excerpt from Dentlinger’s coverage could have created room for “general public guesswork.”
“However, the eNCA administration, after meeting with Dentlinger to discuss the matter, concluded that his conduct was not motivated by racial motives or malicious intent,” the broadcaster said.
The news channel noted that Dentlinger was “an experienced journalist with more than 21 years of experience, 9 of which have been with eNCA.”
In his tenure with eNCA, he has focused primarily on political news, the broadcaster said.
Having worked in print, radio and television, Dentlinger has interviewed many high-profile politicians from all sectors and parties without anyone questioning their conduct, the broadcaster said, adding that the incident represents an “inaccurate and unfair image of their work. “.
“In an intense live broadcast environment like Budget Speech coverage, our journalists are under pressure to comply with the rules while delivering fair, accurate and balanced news. The journalist had to deal with being live and receiving instructions from the producer through her headset and unfortunately did not request that the interviewee wear a mask, “said John Bailey, editor-in-chief of eNCA.
“The criticism to this point directed at a journalist in these circumstances is unfair and unfortunate. The comments and some video content currently being shared are maliciously misleading. “
The broadcaster added that when it came to adhering to Covid-19 protocols, eNCA had broadcast extensive content to educate viewers, while journalists were regularly urged to ensure that they and all interviewees adhered to the requirements. requirements.
“After carefully analyzing the situation, we understand that, given the pressure of the live television environment, unplanned incidents can occur. Through our deliberations, we have discovered that there is no malicious intent on the part of the journalist, ”said Managing Director Norman Munzhelele.
“We also discovered that the way in which the journalist and eNCA have been perceived through this incident is unfair and is not a true reflection of the journalist or our channel.
“We also appreciate the sensitivity of the matter and the concerns of the people and reaffirm our commitment to foster compliance with regulations designed to inhibit the transmission of Covid-19 in our population, regardless of race, color or creed.”
MESS
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