Press Council of South Africa Launches New Complaints Management Dashboard
New online monitoring tool gives the public greater insight into how complaints against South African print and digital news publications are processed and resolved.
Johannesburg – The Press Council of South Africa has launched its first public Complaints Management Dashboard, marking an important step towards greater transparency and accountability in the country’s media industry.
Launched on 24 July 2026, the online dashboard allows members of the public, journalists, editors, publishers, researchers and civil society organisations to follow how complaints against subscribing media publications are received, processed and finalised.
The first edition covers complaints handled between January and June 2026. It brings together information about the number of complaints received each month, cases that remain pending and matters that were resolved, declined, withdrawn or deferred.
The platform also identifies the sections of the Press Code most frequently found to have been breached. In addition, it explains how complaints move through mediation, adjudication and, where applicable, an appeal.
The Press Council intends to update the dashboard regularly, creating an accessible and continuing public record of its complaints-management work.
Strengthening media accountability in South Africa
The Press Council is an independent co-regulatory body responsible for promoting media freedom and holding subscribing print and online publications accountable under the Press Code of Ethics and Conduct.
Its system is based on the principle that media freedom and public accountability support each other. Journalists must be free to investigate and report on matters of public interest, but publications must also act responsibly and correct ethical failures when they occur.
Press Council Executive Director Dr Phathiswa Magopeni said every figure presented on the dashboard represented a person who had trusted the organisation to deal responsibly with a complaint.
“This Dashboard demonstrates our commitment to accountability,” Magopeni said. “We have a duty to them and to the integrity of a free media in our democracy to conduct our work transparently.”
The new platform is particularly important as South Africans face a growing flow of misinformation, disinformation and unverified material on digital platforms. By publicly showing how ethical complaints are handled, the Press Council hopes to build confidence in credible journalism and help audiences distinguish professional reporting from unreliable online content.
How the Press Council complaints process works
Complaints may be lodged against print and online publications that subscribe to the Press Council’s jurisdiction. Complaints are brought against the publication rather than an individual journalist or editor.
According to the Council’s official procedure, a complaint should normally be submitted within 20 working days of publication. The complainant should include a copy of, or link to, the disputed article and explain which parts of the Press Code may have been breached.
The Public Advocate receives complaints and assists members of the public in formulating them. Where a complaint is accepted, the Public Advocate first tries to reach an amicable settlement between the complainant and the publication.
If no agreement can be reached within a reasonable period, the matter may be referred to the Press Ombud or a Deputy Press Ombud for adjudication. Either party may subsequently apply for permission to appeal a ruling. The service is independent and free of charge. The full process and online complaints form are available on the Press Council’s website.
Why the new dashboard matters
Greater access to complaints data can help the media industry identify recurring ethical weaknesses, including problems involving accuracy, fairness, privacy, verification or the right of reply. Editors and journalists can use those findings to strengthen newsroom training and prevent similar breaches.
For the public, the dashboard provides clearer evidence that complaints are being recorded and considered through a structured system. It also gives researchers and civil society organisations useful information for studying media ethics and public trust in South Africa.
The Press Council has encouraged citizens to use the platform, learn about the Press Code and lodge complaints when they believe a subscribing publication has acted unethically.
By opening its complaints work to closer public scrutiny, the Council is reinforcing the message that a strong democracy requires both a free press and a media industry willing to account for its decisions.