Today is World Press Freedom Day, and in South Africa, writes Chris Moerdyk, the news media industry is finding itself in one of the most confusing and daunting periods in recent history. On one hand, it is almost completely free; on the other hand, Moerdyk argues, over the past few years draft legislation before Parliament clearly contradicts this intention. This is not a time for complacency, especially with the recent goings-on of the ANC Youth League. We need to remember that media freedom is a right, not a privilege, as my colleague Sindy Peters writes in her editorial column on Africa. Nevertheless, it is an exciting time for media in this country. The battle of the pay-TV operators and the Sunday newspapers is on: this past weekend saw the long-awaited launch of South Africa's second pay-TV operator, TopTV from On Digital Media, and the traditionally black City Press - under the helm of Ferial Haffajee for the past year - went live with its Peter Ong redesign, including new content, colours and fonts, in its bid to capture a broader market. How will the Sunday Times respond under its new editor, Ray Hartley? Meanwhile, last week TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg's Trillion Dollar campaign to raise awareness for The Zimbabwean newpaper continued to triumph, with an ADC Gold Cube and three 2010 D&AD nominations and four In Book entries. This follows hot on the heels of it six 2010 Clio nominations. The Trillion Dollar campaign has also been instrumental in the recent naming of TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris as joint AdReview Agency of the Decade. The Online Publishers Association of South Africa has also released its Code of Professional Conduct, which sets out the standards of professional practice and professional conduct governing OPA members. The code is binding on all members of the OPA; compliance with this code is a condition of membership of the OPA; and its purpose is to enable the self-regulation of members in the interest of the public. As a member of the OPA, Bizcommunity.com adheres to this code of conduct. For those of you in Gauteng, keep warm and mind the potholes! Simone Puterman (@SimoneBiz) & Rod Baker PS In this week's Ornico Ad Showcase, we feature TV ads for Clover Danone Delight, Clorets Eliminator, Nissan Qashqai, Virgin Money and Nando's, and radio ads for Listerine, FNB, TopTV, Wimpy and Renault.
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