ABOUT US

Open & Disclose aims to provide a platform for media organisations, journalists, columnists, and commentators to make public their interests, with the aim of strengthening institutional credibility, accountability, transparency, and trustworthiness. In a time of increasing scrutiny of the media, it is critical that journalists and media houses adhere to best practice, which will also serve as an essential means of self-defence.

The platform aims to:

  • Strengthen media’s institutional credibility, accountability, transparency, and trustworthiness.
  • Encourage a media environment built on transparency, credibility, accuracy and facts, thus improving the levels of trust between media/journalists and the public.
  • Ensure a media that continues to hold the powerful (politicians and corporations) to account, applying the same standards to their own organisation, allowing their audiences to hold them accountable, ultimately creating a relationship built on transparency, credibility, trust and accurate information.

There is currently no similar system that will meet the requirement of a simple, centralised place for local media organisations, journalists and media practitioners to declare their interests. Some media organisations disclose some interests on their websites, but this is largely organisationally focused and lacks individual (journalist) based disclosure. Due to this gap, it is difficult for an organisation or individual to easily disclose this information to the public.


How Our Badges Work

As individual and organisational members of Open & Disclose, you will receive access to the Open & Disclose badge, indicating your commitment to transparency and credibility in your industry. As a Press Council member, your organisation will also receive access to the Press Council badge. These badges can be included on your website.


Press Council Badge

Organisation Badge

Once your profile has been verified, you will receive a notification from the system that your profile has been made public. Upon logging in, on the Manage My Profile screen, you will see new buttons through which you can access the code snippet for the badge(s) relevant to your profile. The code snippet allows you to easily place the badge on your website, without impacting speed or efficiency, and links to your Open & Disclose public profile.

By following the on screen instructions for this code snippet, you can now display your Open & Disclose badge on your website and article pages, encouraging others to do the same!

For more information about Open & Disclose, or if you would like to send us suggestions on improvements to both the system as well as the criteria for credibility, please contact us on info@mma.org.za.