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World Press Freedom Day: Sanef voices concerns for SA media

3 May 2012

NEWSWATCH: Today is World Press Freedom Day. It should be a day to celebrate and acknowledge a fundamental human right - the right to free expression without fear of threats, harassment... or worse. Instead, our celebration of the day is clouded by concerns - as expressed here in SA by the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef).

(Image: CitizenBruce, via Wikimedia Commons)

For more:

IOL: Press freedom threatened - Sanef... You'd think that with our much-vaunted Constitution we wouldn't have anything to worry about when it comes to press freedom. Wrong! Sanef says that while SA might still be a 'beacon' for press freedom, that very freedom is under threat by the state, for example by means of the Protection of State Information Bill (POIB), and by State bodies and individuals who seem to believe they are above the law.
IOL: Ditch the Info Bill - Gordimer... Still on the home front, Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer has attacked the Protection of State Information Bill, warning that it is a new threat to freedom in South Africa. She wants it thrown out; every one who holds press freedom dear would agree with her.
allAfrica: Southern Africa: World Press Freedom Day marked... In Namibia, it's felt that the biggest hurdle facing Namibian media in doing their job is in gaining access to information. It seems that in Namibia, "No comment" is too often the response of choice on the part of many public and private officials. "The integral part of running an organisation or any type of institution is to provide information to the public," said human rights lawyer Norman Tjombe. He's absolutely correct, of course - but will any of the above-mentioned officials listen and change their ways? Unlikely.
VOANews.com: World Press Freedom Day 2012... Over in the United States, the Voice of America says that "A free press is a form of freedom of expression, providing citizens with access to knowledge and information, thus safeguarding any political system based on the will of the people... World Press Freedom Day ... is a day to consider the importance of freedom of the press, and to remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression."
It's as well to note VOANews.com's parting shot: "A silent press means the end of democracy."