Of Superman ministers and developmentally-aligned broadcasters

17 Nov 2010

There seems to be a lot of frightening legislation doing the rounds, which naturally means some drafts don't get the attention they deserve. But, not to be alarmist or anything, you need to have a look at the proposed new law on public broadcasting. Seriously.

A rough reading of the Draft Public Services Broadcasting Bill is one of those exercises that makes one wonder who writes these things. How is it actually done? Does a minister say, "I want to do this and this, now you go and put it into legal language"? Is there a brainstorming session with a whiteboard and shouted ideas? Is there a process; is there any kind of thought at all?

At a recent press conference, Cabinet spokesperson Themba Maseko was asked how some clauses get into bills. It was a question really aimed at the "Protection" of Information Bill. His answer, clearly put, was that "no clause gets into a Bill by accident", it's there for a reason. Well, dear reader, if that is the case, the following is going to make for some chilling reading.

Continue reading the full article on www.thedailymaverick.co.za.

See also:

Of Superman ministers and developmentally-aligned broadcasters

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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Stephen Grootes

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.