Summit of Editors-owners-managers:

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Summit of Editors-owners-managersTHE BOTTOM
LINE
Background to a Sanef initiative
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Background

1. Industry funds SANEF, but
2. MAPPP-SETA refund
3. Downsizing
4. Dismissal of Mathatha Tsedu
5. Not a union of editors
6. History Tony Heard, Raymond Louw, Allister
   Sparks, Lawrence Gandar
7. Peter Bruce UDM, etc.

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A Changes in decade

• Since Richard Steyn downgrading of editors so
  dont report to a Board
• Squeeze on newsroom sizes
• Tensions over editorial independence
  commercialism (Vusi Monas chickens)
• Editor abuse of position (Vusi Monas conflict of
  interests, politics)
• Transformation issue Africanisation, but keep
  white audiences
• Reduced time for actual editing.

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Significance

• Editors not secure
• Face too many imperatives
• Chasing tails
• Sanef suffers
• Media credibility in long term?
• Gives govt others a stick to beat us.

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B SUMMIT OBJECTIVES

• Exchange views in focused and frank way
• Assess the state of mutual relations in a general
  (non-personalised) sense
• Probe and try to explain problems which are
  fundamental which are just communicational
• Do recommendations to improve relations
• Possibly statement of general principles for
  future guidance.

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C. DRAFT PROGRAMME

• International experience (eg. Bill Kovacs)
• How problems manifest themselves
• commercial focus advertising relations and
  content integrity market-tailism eg. chasing
  audiences at the expense of leadership ownership
  styles staff reporting resources
  line-accountable reporting systems editorial
  charters and policies.
• Different and shared interests of editors,
  managers and owners.

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C. DRAFT PROGRAMME

• Is the media industry like any other business, or
  should it be considered unique?
• Triple bottom line - should there be a 4th
  bottom line that reports on performance as
  regards the quality of journalism and its social
  value?

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C. DRAFT PROGRAMME

• What do we share in terms of industry as a whole
  vis-à-vis convergence, the continent, the
  politicians and advertisers?
• What do we understand by the transformation
  challenge? A media charter? Advertising
  industrys recent bid to score media placements
  in terms of BEE credentials).

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D. TIMING ORGANISATION

• Date before another Sun City summit with
  Government, recommended - March 2006.
• Duration commence with a guest international
  speaker on the opening evening, conclude late pm
  the following day.
• Industry participants Connie Molusi, PMSA, NAB,
  boards
• Planning organising committee - two Sanef
  members, one PMSA rep, and one NAB rep, to draw
  up the programme and guest list.
• Venue Outside of a major centre

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D. TIMING ORGANISATION

• Costs Each pay own way, industrypay R1000
  towards Sanef organising costs expenses of
  guest speakers.
• Procedure Proceedings should be not for
  attribution, so as to enable a robust exchange of
  views.
• Follow-up A general minute should be compiled
  and circulated broadly beyond the participants.
  If there is a declaration, it should be
  publicised widely.

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E. EDITORS VIEWS

• 13 responses
• 4 away

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1. Who do you think editors should report to? MD,
CEO, board? Why?

• Board, board, board
• Board not so focussed on short-term
• Board strategy perform assess
• Board but not as director
• Ceo, ceo, md
• Ceo board wont make diffs to resources
• No diffs, either
• Ceo board

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2. How much time spent on activities other than
editorial staff?

• 90 (a web editor)
• 60, 55, 50
• 45, 40
• 35, 30
• 20, 20, 20
• 10 (delegated other to deputy)

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3. Internal threats to your editorial
independence?

• Cost-cutting cost-cutting impact on quality.
• Budget, Budget, fierce budgets.
• Too few resources, personnel, low salaries
• Adeditorial ratio. Managerial involvement.
• Politicians phoning management.
• Time in searching for black staff.
• Poaching of staff.
• Juniorisation, juniorisation, incompetence.
• Downgrading jobs. None none

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4. Socio-political contribution?

• Economic transformation, ditto
• Neutral meeting point around news
• Keep SA informed, Public service
• Bridge between communities
• Raise awareness on poverty
• Affirmative uplifting stories hope
• Well-being of elites, Project SAs image
• Moral regeneration
• Hold politicians, business accountable
• Investigate, push envelope, debate

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5. Problems with owners/managers

• Managers undermining editors on staff grievances,
  hiring.
• Lack of understanding of editorial
• None, none, none, none, blank
• Money, purse, rigidity, pagination too tight
• Merit increases, retention
• Access hard to see them, hierarchy

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6. Short-term financial gain at expense of
long-term investment in quality and
sustainability?

• Managers also being pushed
• Continuous argument needed, balancing
• Difficult to do new projects
• No no no previously but not at present
• Yes yes yes but is it for survival?
• Definitely, but it is justified (fierce
  competition)
• Yes for political, rather than economic.

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Is there a Sanef position?

1. on a summit?
2. on the outcomes?
3. on reporting to the board?
4. on editorial independence?
5. on time for editing?
6. on resourcing for editorial?
7. on a role greater than business?