Editing Thabo Mbeki (section)

==Personality and public image==
[[File:Thabo Mbeki - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting New York 2002.jpg|left|thumb|259x259px|Mbeki at the [[World Economic Forum]] in [[New York City|New York]], February 2002.]]
Mbeki has sometimes been characterised as remote and academic, although in his second campaign for the Presidency in 2004, many observers described him as finally relaxing into more traditional ways of campaigning, sometimes dancing at events and even kissing babies.<ref>{{cite news |title='There is no secret to our success' |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2004-04-02-there-is-no-secret-to-our-success/ |access-date=24 June 2024 |work=The Mail & Guardian |date=2 April 2004 |language=en-ZA}}</ref><ref name="Carroll 2004">{{cite news |last1=Carroll |first1=Rory |author1-link=Rory Carroll |title=The Guardian profile: Thabo Mbeki |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/apr/09/southafrica.rorycarroll |access-date=24 June 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=9 April 2004}}</ref>  Mbeki used his weekly column in the ANC newsletter ''[[ANC Today]]'',<ref name="anctoday">{{cite web|title=ANC Today|url=http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116104942/http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/|archive-date=16 November 2006|access-date=22 November 2006|publisher=ANC}}</ref> to produce discussions on a variety of topics. He sometimes used his column to deliver pointed invective against political opponents, and at other times used it as a kind of professor of political theory, educating ANC cadres on the intellectual justifications for African National Congress policy. Although these columns were remarkable for their dense prose, they often were used to influence news. Although Mbeki did not generally make a point of befriending or courting reporters, his columns and news events often yielded good results for his administration by ensuring that his message is a primary driving force of news coverage.<ref name="themedia">{{cite web|last=Kupe|first=Tawane|year=2005|title=Mbeki's Media Smarts|url=http://www.themedia.co.za/article.aspx?articleid=196182&area=/media_columnistsundercurrent|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929143027/http://www.themedia.co.za/article.aspx?articleid=196182&area=%2Fmedia_columnistsundercurrent|archive-date=29 September 2007|access-date=22 November 2006|work=The Media Online|publisher=Mail&Guardian|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Indeed, in initiating his columns, Mbeki stated his view that the bulk of South African media sources did not speak for or to the South African majority, and stated his intent to use ''ANC Today'' to speak directly to his constituents rather than through the media.<ref name="anctoday-welcome">{{cite web|last=Mbeki|first=Thabo|year=2001|title=Welcome to ANC Today|url=http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2001/at01.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018042020/http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2001/at01.htm|archive-date=18 October 2006|access-date=22 November 2006|work=ANC Today|publisher=ANC}}</ref>

Mbeki appears to have been at ease with the Internet and willing to quote from it. For instance, in a column discussing [[Hurricane Katrina]],<ref name="anctoday-katrina">{{cite web|last=Mbeki|first=Thabo|year=2001|title=The shared pain of New Orleans|url=http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2005/at36.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009181133/http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2005/at36.htm|archive-date=9 October 2006|access-date=22 November 2006|work=ANC Today|publisher=ANC}}</ref> he cited [[Wikipedia]], quoted at length a discussion of Katrina's lessons on American inequality from the Native American publication ''[[Indian Country Today]]'',<ref name="indiancountry">{{cite web|title=Indian Country Today|url=http://www.indiancountry.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121161029/http://www.indiancountry.com/|archive-date=21 November 2006|access-date=22 November 2006|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and then included excerpts from a [[David Brooks (journalist)|David Brooks]] column in ''[[The New York Times]]'' in a discussion of why the events of Katrina illustrated the necessity for global development and redistribution of wealth.

His penchant for quoting diverse and sometimes obscure sources, both from the Internet and from a wide variety of books, made his column an interesting parallel to political blogs although the ANC does not describe it in these terms. His views on AIDS were supported by Internet searching which led him to so-called "[[AIDS denialist]]" websites; in this case, Mbeki's use of the Internet was roundly criticised and even ridiculed by opponents.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Prominent African leaders since independence|date=April 2013|editor=Kasuka, Bridgette.|isbn=978-9987-16-026-6|edition=First|location=Dar es Salaam|publisher=New Africa Press|oclc=957968926}}</ref>