» Context is king

Context is king

June 27th, 2008

The Mail & Guardian, in an article today on politicians claiming they were quoted out of context, had me pronouncing this inanity: “Being quoted out of context usually means that the person is quoted in a context they don’t want to be quoted in.”

Let me tell you what I remember saying. I don’t have it word for word, but it was something like this: “Claiming to be quoted out of context has become the refuge of scoundrels. The first excuse of a loose-tongued politician who says something embarrassing is that they were misquoted. When they can’t use this one, maybe because they were recorded, they now say the quote was used out of context. Sometimes it was, but often it is just an attempt to blame journalists for their own mistakes.

“But look at the case of Vavi (the trade union leader who said he was quoted out of context when he said he would die and kill for Jacob Zuma). He used the word ‘kill’. There is no context which can justify that word.”

So how it came out the way it did in the M&G, I am not sure. Was I quoted out of context?

Entry Filed under: Anton Harber, Journalism, Print

1 Comment Add your own

1. Bernard | July 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm

Maybe! The Times newspaper dated June 25, 2008 on pg 21, run with a story with a headline: “Rudderless society heads for rocks”. It started, I quote: ” It is clear that collectively and individually we are a deeply wounded people. Profound damage was inflicted over a sustained period of several decades by the apartheid regime and the psychic wounds are extreme” unquote, and ‘out of context’!

What Paul Ashton, Astrid Berg, John Gosling, Peter Hodson, Helise le Roux, Gillian Mudie and Gerald Stonestreet (a group of analitical psychlogists) were definately right when they say we are a sick society!

The group were refering to the recent eruption of xenophobia violence and brutality in South Africa. In addition, this is what they had to say… Neurobiological research on the development of the human brain has shown conclusively that a lack of adequate parenting during the first 18 months to two years of life can result in demonstrable delays in brain developments. According to this group, this might cause significant behavioural problems later.

Right, I’m not saying Mr Vavi did lack adequate parenting during his childhoods era, but this analysis or research bring us a bit next to a reality. Or maybe, there must be a recent update of the Oxford Dictionary with additional different meanings ofr the word ‘Kill’. Perhaps, is time for other people to go for a psychaitric check-up shortly after delivering a speech or giving comments to the media! I hope i’m not quoted out of context!

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Anton Harber: Media

Professor Anton Harber directs the Journalism and Media Studies Programme at Wits University. He is former editor of the Mail & Guardian.
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