SABC... jingle (alarm) bells

13 Dec 2012

NEWSWATCH: The tighter controls over talk shows introduced at the SABC this week have the alarm bells ringing, reports BDlive, and proof of how bad news travels is the fact that news that local SA news channel eNCA had to apologise for using an old clip dealing with comments on Nelson Mandela, has been picked up the Times of India. Mail & Guardian reports countries - the US and China to name but two - are at odds over laws governing the internet, and IOL reports on how a UK study finds that playing violent video games can make people more aggressive.

For more:

BDlive: Alarm bells ring as SABC tightens control over political talk shows... The tighter controls the SABC introduced this week over talk shows rightly has critics of the organisation's policies and general performance less than convinced that the new measures have anything to do with ensuring balance and fairness. Many reckon it's more about management ensuring that they stay sweet with the powers-that-be in government circles.
Times of India: TV channel says sorry for Mandela comment gaffe... A golden rule... Beware of what you trot out; people are watching.
Mail & Guardian: Countries deeply divided on internet laws during UN talks... While Russia and other countries want greater government control of the internet... Now why would that be? ...others, including the US, don't want rules that could restrict freedoms in cyberspace.
Let's face it, nine times out of ten, those who wish to control the free flow of information want to control it (read muzzle it) because they stink with corruption and don't want that corruption, graft, greed and outright criminal activity out there where the public can read it. Sound familiar?
IOL: How videogames can make you aggressive... Next time you see little Johnny playing a video game, if a recent study is to be believed, beware if he's playing a violent game - it could help make him more aggressive.

Rod Baker

About Rod Baker

Rod Baker is Content Director at Bizcommunity.com. A journalist since before computers, he worked on a wide range of magazines and, in his youth, rose through the ranks from being a lowly and abused sub-editor, to a high and still abused editor and publisher. He has been editor and publisher of a number of magazines, as well as a newspaper. He has edited many books, and written a number too. Email him at moc.ytinummoczib@dor.