Complaints about press reports have jumped in recent years, says national press ombudsman Johan Retief.
His office received 529 complaints in 2013, compared to 212 in 2010, with numbers expected to keep increasing.
This could be attributed to the increased reporting of his formal findings in the press, leading to greater awareness of what his office did, Retief said yesterday.
On average, almost half the complaints in the past four years were from individuals. Just under 30 percent were from politicians and 23 percent from businesses.
“Two-thirds of complaints are either fully or partially upheld, which means that the allegation that I am biased towards the press is not based on facts but on myth,” he told the Cape Town Press Club.
Retief said the most common mistake the press made was not asking for comment, or asking for it too late, leading to inaccurate and unfair reporting. However, he had noticed a growing concern for ethical journalism in the five years he had been in office.