It emerged overnight that three Independent Newspapers executives will sue Noseweek in the Western Cape High Court, claiming a collective R1 million for defamation.

Independent Newspapers executives, Anthony Howard, Chris Whitfield and Moegsien Williams have decided to take Noseweek and Martin Welz to the Western Cape High Court claiming R350 000 each for defamation relating to an article Noseweek published recently.

You can catch up with this story HERE, and read why Sekunjalo Consortium is offering R1 million too much to buy Independent Newspapers HERE.

Martin Welz had this to say last night:

Three executives of Independent Newspapers who were named by Noseweek in its July issue in a report headlined “Independent News bosses struck a secret deal with Auction Alliance”, have served summons on the magazine’s publisher and its editor Martin Welz.

The three – CEO Anthony Howard, Cape editor-in-chief Christopher Whitfield and group managing editor Moegsien Williams, allege they were defamed by the article are and are claiming R350 000 each as compensation for the damage they allege they have suffered as a result.

Welz continued:

I was not taken by surprise by the summons – I had been forewarned by the Argus in its weekend edition – but I am surprised that news media that have a forum of their own to fight their battles – the columns of their newspapers – still have need to resort to the courts.

Noseweek’s story was read by perhaps a few tens of thousands of people, whereas the Independent Newspapers executives’ subsequent denials, expressions of outrage and insults directed at Noseweek were published by all their newspapers  – plus some – nationally, reaching millions of readers.

In a perverse way it’s a compliment that they are nevertheless still suing us: it suggests a recognition that we enjoy a level of credibility that exceeds their own, despite all the denials and outrage. In our current issue we have gone to some lengths to spell out our position on the story and dispell any misunderstandings.

We stand by our story and will, if needs be, defend this action in the same way we have defended others in the past – with a certain measure of success.

You can read the summons HERE.

The complete record of the interdict case brought by Auction Alliance against Independent Newspapers, and the settlement agreement they concluded binding them to secrecy on various matters can be found HERE.

Independent Newspapers have been very quiet regarding the revelations about it in the latest Noseweek, and they have still to reply to 2oceansVibe’s queries about why they took money from Auction Alliance, but Chris Whitfield did tell 2oceansVibe today that it was now up to the court to decide on the matter:

I don’t have much to say except that we have now served papers on Welz, which is where the truth will hopefully emerge.

One sentence of the latest Noseweek article regarding Independent’s relationship with Auction Alliance stands out like a sore thumb:

There was even a clause in the auction mandate [when Auction Alliance auctioned two Independent Newspapers properties last year] in which Independent [Newspapers] expressly authorised Auction Alliance to make use of ghost or vendor bidders.

Not a cool vibe at all.

With that in mind, why not have a listen to what Chris Whitfield and Martin Welz had to say to Bruce Whitfield recently on radio HERE.

2oceansVibe is still of the opinion that a discount is a discount, not a chance to make money. We’ll continue to follow this story closely, unlike some other not so independent media.

[Source: Newsinfo SA]