Journalists declare against POIB, start urgent petition

The "Journalist Declaration on the Protection of State Information Bill" is an urgent petition that is calling upon all community, public, commercial and trade journalists to speak up against the Secrecy Bill and other proposed legislation. Organisers plan to release the list of endorsements early next week before the National Assembly votes for or against the Secrecy Bill on Tuesday, 20 September 2011.

The declaration was jointly drafted by members of the Mail & Guardian Centre for Investigative Journalism (amaBhungane).

Journalist Declaration on the Protection of State Information Bill
We, the journalists of South Africa, believe the Protection of State Information Bill is a threat to our constitutional rights of access to information and freedom of expression and hence the lifeblood of our democracy.
Should the National Assembly adopt this Bill and President Jacob Zuma sign it into law, they will be directly responsible for the erosion of openness, transparency and accountability in South Africa.
As journalists we are dedicated to serving the public interest by helping to hold those with power to account. Regardless of any law, we remain duty bound to protect whistleblowers who help us expose wrongdoing in the public interest.
We commend and support the Right2Know Campaign and all democrats who oppose the Protection of State Information Bill.

To show support for this declaration, journalists must email their name and publication/station to amaBhungane's Sally Evans at az.oc.gm@eyllas and are also asked to pass it on to their colleagues.

Comments the Alternative Information Development Centre (AIDC), "We hear a lot from government, civil society and the editors forum about various threats to media freedom in South Africa. But until now the voice of working journalists has been relatively silent.

"Now a few concerned journalists are getting organised and have prepared a Journalists Declaration on the Protection of State Information Bill. They are calling on all journalists working in the community, public, and commercial media to add their names to the statement."

Bizcommunity.com supports this declaration.