Editors are standing by to go to court as parliament's communications committee weighs an appeal to meet the SABC board in public.

Officials backed by police barred reporters from a meeting of parliament's portfolio committee on communications today to discuss whether the SABC board should answer questions behind closed doors.

The committee is scheduled to grill the SABC board about its paralysed transformation process, the unilateral appointment of Phil Molefe as head of news by chairman Ben Ngubane and CEO Solly Mokoetle and about chaos within the board itself.

The committee decided with the support of the Democratic Alliance to meet the board behind closed doors.

The South African National Editors Forum wrote to committee chairman Ismail Vadi late yesterday asking him to reverse the decision and spent the night preparing papers for an urgent court application to declare the meeting open if Vadi's committee decides to press on in camera.

Reporters who regularly cover parliament sat down in the corridor outside the committee room after a parliamentary official backed by a policeman denied them entry.

Vadi said yesterday the morning session would be closed because the discussions could affect pending or possible future litigation, but Sanef argued this was not an adequate reason to exclude the press. He said media would be allowed into a follow-up session in the afternoon.

"The Committee is cognizant that some of the issues that may be raised either relate to pending litigation or may lead to litigation. To this end the Committee would like to demonstrate its respect for any pending legal processes," Vadi said in a statement issued by parliament.

"Thus, whilst the Committee at all times supports transparency it has, in terms of National Assembly Rule 152(1), unanimously agreed to receive inputs during a closed session of the meeting that will be held in the morning to ensure that it balances its obligation of effective oversight with the right of persons who may potentially be affected by matters that are of a private nature. The Committee is further confident that the closed session will ensure maximum participation and cooperation," he said.

Reporters dismissed the explanation, and Sanef backed their position.

"Our client is deeply concerned by the decision taken by the Committee, which has the effect of undermining openness and transparency concerning the affairs of the SABC, a public body, and which adversely affects the constitutional right of the public to receive information on a matter of clear public interest and importance," Sanef lawyers said in a letter to Vadi.

Kamal Mansura, secretary to the National Assembly, responded that Vadi could not reverse the decision because it was taken by the full committee. He said the first item on the agenda today would be to consider the request to open the meeting.

Democratic Alliance MP Lindiwe Masebuko confirmed to Politics LIVE that she had supported the decision in spite of her party's commitment to transparency and acccountabilty.

Reporters at parliament demanded to be present for that discussion, but were barred from entering the committee room half an hour before the meeting was scheduled to start.