Released Friday, April 9, 2010
The Foreign Correspondents' Association wishes to express its outrage at the treatment of members of the foreign media during Thursday's ANCYL press conference at Luthuli House.
Mr Malema's personal attack on a BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher for asking tough questions was both abusive and unbecoming of a politician in any democratic society.
The foreign media, including the BBC, played a major role in exposing the atrocities and inequalities of Apartheid.
We pride ourselves in exposing hypocrisy, corruption and the abuse of power, no matter who governs.
That
the media, including foreign broadcasters, were invited to this press
conference at the headquarters of the ruling party and then subjected to
an attack is a worrying sign for democracy and the role of the free
press in this country.