The Press Ombudsman panel dismissed a complaint by Ronald Suresh Roberts (also known as Robert Kevin Roberts) against The Weekender newspaper this week. The paper reported late last year that Roberts had been charged with plagiarism by Aids denialist Anthony Brink for lifting passages from Brink’s unpublished book and using it in his “biography” of President Thabo Mbeki, Fit to Govern.
Roberts was particularly upset by the poster of the newspaper titled Suresh Roberts caught cribbing because, he argued, it elevated the claims by Brink to the status of fact. The Press Ombudsman panel rejected his argument, stating that it was a fair reflection of the story and that the story was fair.
Significantly The Weekender editor, Peter Bruce, argued that this was so because the:
The Weekender believes that the publication was true or at least that they reasonably believed the facts to be true. The evidence appears on a balance of probabilities in relation to the plagiarism charge to bear fruit. The same applies to the billboard.” Bruce repeated this at the hearing: “The poster was true – he (Roberts) is a plagiarist.”
The Ombudsman panel found in favour of the newspaper, in effect endorsing the view of the newspaper that Roberts is a plagiarist.
Prof de Vos: I suppose an Ombudsman fulfills a judicial finction of some kind – so therefore it is in order if such a finding is made, even though it is not strictly speaking a court of law that does the finding. Is my supposition correct? I also suppose the Ombudsman’s finding can be reviewed in a court of law if Roberts feels that there are rounds to do so?
Pierre,
I thought that after how you approached the Hlophe saga, you would start being circumvent when it comes to your analysis.
In its finding, all the ombudsman did was to dismiss RSR’s complaint. Its did not make a finding on whether RSR is a plagiarist or not.
Do not ride on the ombudsman (ConCourt) back to settle your old scores.
Off topic, but a very interesting article in today’s Business day.
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A803537
Bravo Ngcukaitobi, well said.
He writes nonsense also. Refers to a “transformative constitution”. That’s a contradictio in terminis.
Exactly that moment the oh so haloed “constitution” becomes a revolutionary manifesto. Exactly what it was meant not to be. Then it becomes the single most divisive document in the country. And a document of ridicule.
See Rates 04[5] 569 CPD were this junk was first mentioned, in these terms:
“Ours is a transformative Constitution”.
It sets the path for the constitution’s utter rejection by a significant part of the population. And its future divisive role.
I digress once again. Where is Suresh hiding these days? Since Polokwane, I have not seen his articles on current affairs and the misunderstood Dear genius that is Mbeki. His lawyer Qunta seems to be penning a lot of drivel while SABC burns. Or could it be that Suresh has been blacklisted by Snuki?
Fit to Govern…?
Comment from the Sunday Times on the numbers reflecting the state of our Nation
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=804174
Shouldn’t we, the latte-sipping antagonists from the battle-zones of this forum also somehow cheer: “Lank lewe Mandela”……
Or can’t we even agree on that one……?
Is it true that Khosi = Ronald Suresh? They certainly have matching moves and shrieks in the TM praise singing stakes.
“Lank lewe Mandela” = “Love live Mandela”
Peter,
Go play with soap.
Khosi – “Go play with soap” is unknown to me – is it (bad) English for “Gaan vang ‘n haas!”
Sorry – ‘haas’ should read ‘haan’
as in “slipped on” methinks….
Yes Henri, we should. Happy birthday Madiba! And many, many more to come we hope!
Ah! A real man! No many of them arond these days (ha ha ha)