Another View: We must defend parliament's integrity

Reporter who quoted an official violated the code of conduct

Much has been made of parliament's policy on media relations which prohibits journalists accredited to operate within the institution from seeking information on parliamentary matters from officials.

In Another View, "Control issues embarrass parliament" (October 9), Caiphus Kgosana calls the policy bizarre and nasty. He brands it "an obscure protocol inspired by the sort of thinking that produced the feared Protection of State Information Bill".

The tone of the backlash masks its avoidance of inconvenient truths. Unfortunately, the backlash bears little relation to the lived experience of the media at parliament.

The attack on parliament was sparked by a complaint to an editor about an article that provided a platform for an anonymous "senior official" to launch a personal attack on a political party.

The author acknowledged in his article that the "senior official" was not authorised to speak on behalf of parliament. The comment, however, includes statements expressed with authority by the "senior official", on behalf of parliament. Parliament, utilising this policy which has been in existence since 2009, asked the editor why it should not withdraw the accreditation of the journalist.

The policy is a means of regulation of conduct (of accredited journalists and employees): "to ensure that the business of parliament is conducted in an open and transparent manner by providing reasonable access to the media, and to manage the relationship between parliament and the media".

The provisions bar officials from speaking to the media on behalf of parliament and from expressing political opinion, either positive or negative, about parties.

Being an official presupposes not only honesty and conscientiousness. It requires that we ensure the legitimacy of our official acts and that we behave in a manner worthy of public trust.

That it was the ANC regarding which the negative opinion was expressed in the offending article is immaterial.

There have been instances where employees entered into ostensibly innocuous conversations and expressed personal views to journalists who used this content to contradict official positions.

The provision prohibits misuse of information by officials accessed in the course of their duties.

The policy does not limit journalists from soliciting comment from members. This happens every day.

Nowhere does the policy curtail members of the media from directly approaching party support staff except for comment about institutional matters. Of course the media may - and do - approach party support staff about power struggles within political parties. The media relations office does not issue statements on such matters.

According to parliament's records, some 120 members of the media have permits which entitle them to daily direct access to parliament. A significant number of permit holders have offices in the precinct.

This access enables the media to attend meetings of committees, freely mixing and mingling with members and party support staff.

On signing up for accreditation, the journalists receive a permit "issued subject to applicable laws, rules and regulations". They pledge, in writing: "I know, understand and agree with the security rules and conditions of parliament."

The policy is available on the parliamentary website. In instances where journalists ask to see it, the policy is made available in any preferred format.

This makes the plea of ignorance, for some, to sound more like "wilful blindness". The journalists should have known, and could have asked.

Parliament respects the media's right to deal with communication it receives as it sees fit. Our fear is not of people expressing their opinion. Our fear is of undue politicisation of the administration, mischief-making and the introduction of ghosts into the parliamentary service who say anything and everything that some journalists may favour.

Beyond "nasty, bizarre and fear", is a shared path, broad enough for both parliament and the media to walk towards our many shared ideals including a free press. To this end we shall do our part even if it means "climbing down" to give effect to the agreed purpose of positively regulating media relations within parliament.

• Jacobs is parliament's head of communications