THE recent outcry in the media regarding the cost of the state of the province address, proclaiming the occasion as a farewell gift to premier Noxolo Kiviet, got me thinking about the role of the media and how it portrays itself in the eyes of its readers.
I am in no way trying to justify the alleged expenditure and will never condone irregular expenses in any form. But the media silence on the auditor-general's report on the rampant looting of public funds in the Western Cape through the use of consultants to the tune of R10.3-billion during the last three years, has not evoked the equivalent outcry from the media.
Therefore the kind of reporting by the media in general should be interrogated.
Can this style of reporting be attributed to the fact that closet DA members are masquerading as journalists?
This question should be answered by the media in order for it not to be perceived as having a hidden agenda.
Patrick Sekoe, Buffalo Flats, East London
The Herald is a Nelson Mandela Bay-based Eastern Cape paper which focuses on local news. We rely on a group news service to cover news from other provinces as we do not have the resources to cover them ourselves. There is no hidden agenda. – The Editor