THE National Press Club has named state capture, President Jacob Zuma, the Guptas and advocate Thuli Madonsela as Newsmakers for 2016.
National Press Club chairperson Tanya de Venter-Bijker said Zuma and the Guptas dominated headlines in what became known as state capture.
“In terms of impact, news value and media attention on all platforms, state capture dominated the news in 2016. The club annually names a newsmaker based on the amount of media coverage generated as well as the impact of the news.”
According to media monitoring company ROi Africa, state capture generated 51% of coverage in 2016, occupying first position in terms of news coverage. The public protector took up position 11 and the Guptas position 9.
De Venter-Bijker said the release of the State of Capture report by Madonsela was a major news event, as was Zuma’s bid to interdict the report and other follow-up stories.