The 2017 Standard Bank Sikuvile Awards are both a memorial honour and a reminder of Qoboza’s values and belief in courageous and ethical journalism. The anniversary is both a reminder of where we come from and the responsibility bestowed on journalists operating in a free open democracy

The PSS, in partnership with Standard Bank, continues to support this prestigious initiative to celebrate and honour men and women who dedicated themselves to telling the truth in an undisguised manner.

The PSS’s commitment to the values espoused by Qoboza is also reflected in the theme of this year’s awards – fake free news. As PSS, which represents the industry with more than 500 newspapers and magazines, we are extremely concerned by the consequential effect of fake news on the journalism profession and its negative influence on the public trust.

The challenge facing the media today is not only the external pressures geared towards the limitation of the constitutionally entrenched media freedoms but also a legitimacy crisis posed by this dangerous phenomenon. The purveyors of fake news seek to delegitimise and cast aspersions on the integrity of credible media organisations and journalists, such as the recipients of our awards.

The irony is that the free flow of information that Qoboza and his peers fiercely defended, and new media platforms that everyone in our industry embraces today, is being framed as key drivers of the proliferation of fake news. Of course, this is incorrect.

As PSS director, Hoosain Karjieker, Mail & Guardian CEO, says, "As our view of the world is increasingly fuelled by falsehood, distortion, and deceit, we realise the importance of journalism as an act of truth-telling. It is crucial that journalists retain their duties as watchdogs of democracy, in pursuit of the truth and in service of an accurate perspective of the world we inhabit."

The answer to the crisis of fake news is not to reject social media or limit free flow of information, but to empower the public to draw the distinction between the values Qoboza stood for and those who seek to abuse the social contract between the media and the public.

We can only crystallise this distinction through strict adherence to the press code and by ensuring that public interest – and nothing else – drives and informs our agenda.

For more information, visit www.pdmedia.org.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook.