The Press Ombudsman found the Drum magazine g
uilty for ascribing words to her and publishing her medical records without consent and now the magazine must tell the Top Billing and Clash of the Choirs SA presenter that they are sorry for publishing the story.
Drum lies: The cover story that landed the magazine in hot watersSince then, Bonang has been having a sour relationship with the magazine. A source from the Drum headquarters privy to the situation told me she is even suing the magazine. “The editor knows she [Khosi] was wrong and went ahead to publish the allegations any way,” says my deep throat
Matheba lodged a complaint with the ombudsman about the above cover story.
Dj EuphonikThe story was about Bonang’s legal battle with her on-and-off-oh-sorry-now-on-silly-off-now-no-now-on boyfriend DJ Euphonik. The story centred on allegations and claims by Bonang that DJ Euphonik beat her up. However, the DJ
dismissed the allegations in the strongest terms possible. The pair are rumoured to be back together and pictures of the two loved-up were published in a recent edition of the very same Drum magazine. Bonang always refuses to talk to the media about her relationship with Euphonik after she did an exclusive with the REAL magazine last year.
In the March issue of the Destiny magazine, the publication reports she is dusting off her personal drama from last year.
Bonang arriving in court last year durinmg her battle with Dj EuphonikThough Drum published allegations of Bonang’s alleged abortion, the starlet insists the medical records are not hers. However, the Press Ombudsman still finds the Drum magazine guilty for publishing the documents.
Reports the Mail&Guardian: “The ombudsman dismissed the complaint that Drum had published sensational material about Matheba as this was not in breach of the Press Code. However, the publication was found in breach of the code for publishing the medical records.”
Bonang is now on Top BillingThe following paragraph from the Mail & Guardian website: It had also breached the code for reporting the unsupported allegations of just one source that Matheba was a drug addict, featured in a sex tape and was a cheat, and for not pointing out that the allegations had not been verified. The words "apparently" and "allegations" were not strong enough to warrant their publication, and this had caused Matheba unnecessary harm, the ombudsman found. The magazine was directed to apologise on its front page and inside the magazine for publishing the medical records, for publishing unfounded allegations and not reporting that it was doing so, and for making up quotes or ascribing words to Matheba in the cover-lines. It was also instructed to apologise for accepting and publishing allegations from an anonymous source without exercising reasonable care in questioning the source's motives.”
Bonang shows her injuries to Sunday World last year after her boyfriend allegedly beat her upIn my investigation on celebrity journalism last year for my dissertation titled: One step forward, ten steps backwards: Ethical issues surrounding celebrity news reporting in South African print media, I found that [in my research findings] celebrities often dodge the media during not so good times while journalists still have to write stories.
In my recommendations, I assert that celebrities are in the public eye and should be subjected to media scrutiny. I however caution the media not to temper with celebrities who prefer to only talk about their work. However, I also insist that if celebrities start talking about their personal lives in the media, during bad press, they cannot turn back and say “don’t write about me. I want my privacy”. I also state that what interests the public isn’t always in the public interest. Furthermore, I assert that journalists need to excercise care when reporting and that journalistic codes cannot just be an ideal. I also state that editors need to demand proof from their journalists and sources about big stories. Ng' ishaya ngapha na ngapha!
Right now we are awaiting the Drum magazine’s cover apology, ayeye @KhosiandherDrum.
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