Anton Harber was a recent guest on The Midday Report on 702 where he spoke to Mandy Wiener about his disquieting new exposé So, for the Record: Behind the Headlines in an Era of State Capture.

In So, for the Record, the veteran journalist brings all his investigative skills to bear on his own profession, the media. His book tells the story of how a leading South African newspaper was duped into doing the dirty work of corrupt politicians while deep-diving into the investigation that exposed the Guptas’ influence over the ruling party.

Why did he write this book?

‘It’s very, very important that journalists hold themselves accountable and self-criticise,’ he says.

‘I did have the sense that the Sunday Times had apologised for and retracted the stories, but I thought it was absolutely essential that we get to the core of what went wrong and why this happened.

‘For journalists, it’s important to see what went wrong and to learn from it, and I’m hoping for non-journalists it will give some insight into how journalism and newsrooms work.’

Harber says his book has had mixed reviews since it was published. ‘One clear lesson of the book is journalists can make mistakes, we have our limitations and you have to fix them as quickly and easily as possible,’ he adds.

Turning to the second tale of how a hard drive ended Jacob Zuma’s presidency, Harber says, ‘I find the whistleblowers in the Gupta-leaks story absolutely fascinating. My sympathy absolutely goes out to all whistleblowers. They’re remarkably important and yet they take such enormous risks.’

Listen to the interview on 702:

Want to find out more? Don’t miss the virtual book launch of So, For the Record by Anton Harber, in conversation with Jacques Pauw, on Thursday, 8 October at 18:00.

Until then, watch the book trailer for more insight:

https://www.facebook.com/JonathanBallPublishers/videos/921115445043637/

Categories Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags 702 Anton Harber Behind the Headlines in an Era of State Capture Book trailer Gupta Leaks Interviews Jonathan Ball Publishers Mandy Wiener Podcast So for the Record Video