In the “TRC in Review” of Friday 7 November 1997 on SAFM an interview with TRC radioCommissioner Ntzebeza was broadcast.  The subject was the alleged incompetence of the Investigative Unit of the TRC from which its director, adv Goosen, has resigned.  Adv Goosen complained to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission that references to incompetence and race were untruthful, malicious and defamatory.  Adv Goosen was afforded an opportunity to answer these statements a week later in the next issue of “TRC in Review”.

Adv Goosen, however, felt that in the first interview it should have been stated that he would be afforded an opportunity to answer in a subsequent programme.  The BCCSA held that the Code does not require such a statement but since the interview was severely critical of the activities of the Investigative Unit (and by implication also adv Goosen) that it should have been stated that attempts had been made to include adv Goosen in the first programme.  In this respect the Code had been contravened.

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