On Thursday, 7 July 2011, SANEF and PMSA launched the Press Freedom Commission in Johannesburg. That same afternoon, the closure of Rupert Murdoch's 168-year-old British Sunday tabloid News of the World, was also announced, supposedly thanks to the ever-increasing ramifications of the phone-hacking scandal and advertisers pulling ads. Apart from the unending puns, what could both of these mean for media freedom and self-regulation in South Africa? Read today's stories by Herman Manson and Issa Sikiti da Silva. On the advertising side, last week Chris Moerdyk revealed the results of a preliminary impact assessment on the proposed ban on alcohol advertising in SA - very scary reading. If you're interested in the state of global advertising, read Manson's interview with the globetrotting American Brianna Graves who, through her Saturn Return Project, is establishing an informal global network of ad execs sharing insights into global best practice and their local markets by travelling to and documenting six top ad agencies in six countries. South Africa and TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris was her very first stop. Don't forget to listen to the latest Biz Takeouts podcast from the Bizcommunity.com/Chai FM Media & Marketing radio show! Keep warm! Simone Puterman (@SimoneBiz) Managing editor PS The latest Ornico Ad Showcase features TV ads for Lindt, Clover Super M, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, KFC and Shower to Shower, and radio ads for Sanlam, Kia, LipIce, Visa and Aquelle.
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