SA media tribunal wars: is that an armistice we see?
18 Oct 2010
A joint indaba between the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) and Government this past weekend yielded some surprising results - the most important of them being a call by the deputy president for cooler heads. If only that had been the case from the very beginning.
Deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe says the media is going to be given some time to tighten up its own self-regulation mechanisms before the ANC moves to set up a media appeals tribunal. But there have been so many different voices on this debate from within the ANC itself, it is difficult to know if he actually means it - and are his thoughts shared by the rest of the ruling party.
... On one level, what Motlanthe has said is eminently more fair and correct. He's basically saying: Put your house in order. But he could also be adding, "... or we'll do it for you". On balance, though, knowing Motlanthe's track record, what he's really saying is, "Look, we'll hold off on this, but give me something to work with here, come to the party."
Continue reading the full story on www.thedailymaverick.co.za.
For more:
- Bizcommunity special section: special focus on media freedom
- Bizcommunity Twitterfall: #ZAmediafreedom
- Press Council of South Africa: Help make journalism in South Africa better
- Right2Know petition: www.right2know.org.za
- Avaaz.org petition: South Africa: democracy at risk
- MediaMattersZA: www.Facebook.com/MediaMattersZa and @MediaMattersZA
- Keep South Africa's Media Free: Facebook and @safreemedia
- SANEF: Media Freedom
- Freedomhouse.org: Freedom in the world
- Google News Search: Protection of Information Bill media appeals tribunal
- Twitter Search: ZAmediafreedom
- Google Blog Search: Protection of Information Bill media appeals tribunal
Source: Daily Maverick
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About Stephen Grootes: @StephenGrootes
Stephen Grootes is political reporter for Eyewitness News (www.ewn.co.za) and contributing editor for Business Day (www.businessday.co.za). He used to write for The Daily Maverick (www.thedailymaverick.co.za). Follow him on Twitter at @StephenGrootes.
