South African newspaper ethics and the politics of cultural belonging: Reflections onThe Spear

<jats:p>This article considers journalism ethics in South Africa by examining the decisions of an Editor first to publish an image and then retract it in response to a public outcry. Notwithstanding South Africa’s constitutional framework that recognises both the Rights to Freedom of Expression and Dignity, this article argues that underlying her decision-making and the public responses to it are contested views about the politics of representation, ‘belonging’ and citizenship. This contestation is approached through Mamdani’s concept of the colonial construction of ‘citizen’ and ‘subject’ and Calhoun’s arguments about the significance of ‘ethnic identifications’ as the basis of ‘solidarity’ and belonging, despite Brubaker’s concern about how such ethnic identifications can be appropriated for opportunistic political ends. This article proposes that the ethical challenges presented by such a scenario can be addressed through Fraser’s philosophical strategy of seeing identity politics as claims for social justice, not ‘recognition’.</jats:p>