Daniel Friedman suspended - The Citizen

Nom Chompsky

Nom Chompsky

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The Citizen’s digital news editor has been placed on suspension pending the conclusion of an internal investigation.

Management has noted public concerns regarding online news editor Daniel Friedman’s statements made on his personal Twitter account, social media and other online platforms. Some of his statements were made through his comedy persona, Deep Fried Man.

An investigation is under way and Friedman was suspended pending the conclusion thereof.

The Citizen has a strict social media policy. The allegations concerning Friedman will be handled according to this policy. If disciplinary proceedings are required, these will be launched and conducted fairly and reasonably.

The Citizen respects the sanctity of freedom of expression. In very few cases would we ever support the suppression of any opinion, even if some may deem it offensive. We voluntarily submit to the South African Press Code, where expressions of opinion are given considerable leeway. However, the Constitution of South Africa and the Press Code place certain limitations on exercising this right, which will be considered when dealing with this matter.

We trust the public will allow this process to proceed peacefully and unhindered.
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Daniel Friedman suspended - The Citizen - POLITICS | Politicsweb

Allegations relating to social media transgressions will be handled according to publication's policy
www.politicsweb.co.za www.politicsweb.co.za

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1219619367991816192
 
Who? Oh just another annoying bloody racist using social media and the excuse of "freedom of speech" to try and stay relevant. Ugh :sick:
 
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Friedman........what sort of agenda could he possibly have , no idea.
 
Friedman is many strange things, but he authored good articles. I liked to read his content and at times his investigative works.

The 'multi' personality... Journalism and comedy aren't the best combination practiced between two separate careers. He also supports the, "new dawn", supported by the masses which I don't support. This is where we don't agree.
 
This was quite odd. If it was the anti-VF+ Tweet which caused this (which seems the case as right-wing Twitter bots were up in arms against him after this), I did not really see anything worthwhile to suspend him for.

Perhaps sponsors who are VF+ aligned threatened to pull out of the paper?

I've worked for a number of publications and I know that the one thing which they hate is offending sponsors.
 
sanef.org.za

SANEF Concerned about the Ongoing Escalation in Death Threats and Harassment of Journalists on Social Media » SANEF | Protecting Media Freedom

SANEF is deeply concerned by the increasing trend of death threats and social media harassment of journalists.
sanef.org.za sanef.org.za

SANEF CONCERNED ABOUT THE ONGOING ESCALATION IN DEATH THREATS AND HARASSMENT OF JOURNALISTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply concerned by the increasing trend of death threats and social media harassment of journalists by right-wing groups and their supporters.

SANEF notes that such harassment against journalists by certain right-wing linked elements and groups in the country is a bid to silence them or stop them from investigating their activities.

SANEF wishes to caution against the threats of any nature and crimes against the media that continue with impunity.

These fuels and perpetuates a cycle of violence. Consequently, the self-censorship deprives society of information and further affects press freedom. It also directly impacts the United Nations human rights-based efforts to promote peace, security, and sustainable development.

Recently, News Editor Daniel Friedman of the Citizen Newspaper was forced to abandon social media platforms including twitter due to a barrage of threats on his life and a relentless campaign meant to paint him as an unfair and biased journalist.

Mr Friedman says he has been targeted and falsely accused by specific individuals of releasing a video in 2015 making fun of the torture and murder of farmers, which was debunked by his employer The Citizen in an article that acknowledged that the said was manufactured. The campaign against Mr Friedman escalated and Mr Friedman received hundreds of abusive messages, including death threats and antisemitic hate speech.

Other social media claims made against Mr Friedman include:
  • That he allegedly called for the death of right-wing South Africans which he denies as a “willful misinterpretation” of an edited version of a joke he made at an Ahmed Kathrada Foundation event. Mr Friedman is also a Professional Comedian.
  • That he called all Afrikaans people “racist scum” which Mr Friedman describes as “baseless and untrue”.
  • Being accused of an attack on Afrikaners, in general, resulting in calls for the public to “make an example” of him and used many other expletives that suggest he should be attacked and harmed.
  • Some social media users starting a campaign demanding that his employer, The Citizen Newspaper, dismiss Mr Friedman.
SANEF has also noted that The Citizen Newspaper has suspended Mr Friedman to investigate whether he breached its social media policy. SANEF will await the outcome of the process.

SANEF wishes to remind all political formations and interest groups to use the services of the Press Ombuds’ office, the Press Council and or the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) when aggrieved or unfairly treated by the media. It is better to have an incorrect report properly investigated and sanctions imposed than resorting to mob justice through social media and creating a toxic atmosphere of conspiracy-mongering and hatemongering towards the journalists and media in general.
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Don’t agree with suspending him but he is f****** dumb. He shouldn’t be in such a job in the first place.
 
citizen.co.za

Statement on Daniel Friedman’s termination of employment | The Citizen

After an internal disciplinary hearing, chaired by an independent labour law practitioner, The Citizen received the recommendation to dismiss Daniel Friedman from his position as the publication's digital news editor.
citizen.co.za citizen.co.za

After an internal disciplinary hearing, chaired by an independent labour law practitioner, The Citizen received the recommendation to dismiss Daniel Friedman from his position as the publication’s digital news editor.

The publication believes this recommendation was not arrived at lightly and we have treated it with the seriousness it deserves.
Management has accepted the recommendation.
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Get woke, go broke!
 
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