INTRODUCTION:

South Africa has the most sophisticated and well

resourced media infrastructure on the African
continent with an effective policy and regulatory
mechanism. The media of South Africa has a large
mass media sector and is one of Africa's major media
centers. It is a media-savvy nation, saturated with
print, broadcast and online offerings. While South
Africa's many broadcasters and publications reflect
the diversity of the population as a whole, the most
commonly used language is English. However, all ten
other official languages are represented to some
extent or another. Afrikaans is the second most
commonly used language, especially in the publishing
sector.

Up until 1994, the country had a thriving Alternative

press comprising community broadsheets, bilingual
weeklies and even student "zines" and xeroxed
samizdats. After the elections, funding and support
for such ventures dried up, but there has been a
resurgence of interest in alternative forms of news
gathering of late, particularly since the events of
September 11, 2001.

The media history of South Africa can be divided into

two main phases: during apartheid and after
apartheid. These two categories define the
fundamental changes that have reshaped South
Africa since it was reaccepted into the international
community of nations. South Africa is also different
from other countries in Africa because of its long
tradition of newspaper journalism that dates back to
when the whites arrived at the Cape of Good Hope. It
is also worth noting that South Africa and Nigeria are
the only two African countries with a history of
competing newspapers under multiple ownerships.

Almost all South African newspapers are published in

English or Afrikaans. The English newspapers
generally tend to be more influential and are read by
more people. Radio and television, through the South
African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is in English,
Afrikaans, and the country's nine African languages.
English is the official language and the language of
business and commerce. South Africa wants to be
sure that its SABC electronic services reach those
who are fluent in many of the country's non-white
languages.

The media changes that occurred in South Africa were

so dizzying that even some of the editors and
journalists had a hard time adapting to the changes.
Under apartheid, the media operated in a minefield of
laws designed to make it almost impossible to publish
any information without authorization from the
government, especially on political and national
security issues. Newspapers were prevented from
publishing the names of banned people, who included
almost all the anti-apartheid leaders. Names and
pictures of people such as Nelson Mandela
disappeared from news pages, as did the names of
banned organizations and groups. When South Africa
rejoined the community of nations after the end of
apartheid, it had a new constitution that protected
freedom of expression and of the press. South Africa
had moved from having one of the most oppressive
media systems in the world to one where the media
could publish almost anything, without fear of
punishment from the government. The press in South
Africa today is free to criticize the government and to
publish articles about opposition groups, even when
those views are harshly critical of the ANC and its
government.

The earliest South African newspapers can be traced

to the days of the earliest white settlements in South
Africa, especially around the Cape of Good Hope,
around the mid-1600s. Those early papers were
written and edited by whites for whites; they included
stories from England, the Netherlands, France, and
Germany—the home countries of the whites who
settled in Africa. There was virtually nothing in those
early newspapers about the indigenous people.
Therefore, it was not surprising that virtually all the
early South African newspapers were in English or
Afrikaans, the two languages spoken by the dominant
white groups in the country. Over time, the number of
newspapers rose to 12 in English and 4 in Afrikaans,
reflecting the dominance of English and English-
speaking whites in early South Africa, even though in
terms of population there were more Afrikaners than
their English counterparts. Even some of the
Afrikaners also preferred to read the English
language press.

The first newspaper published in sub-Saharan Africa

appeared in Cape Town in 1800. The Cape Town
Gazette and African Advertiser, which carried English
and Dutch news, began appearing almost 150 years
after the first Dutch settlers had arrived in South
Africa. It was the arrival of British settlers, however,
that seems to have resulted in the publication of the
country's first newspaper. Despite initial opposition
from colonial authorities, eventually the paper began
to enjoy a measure of freedom and autonomy. This
was followed by the appearance, in 1869, of another
newspaper in the Cape area, when diamonds were
discovered in the region. Not to be outdone, in 1876
Afrikaners began publishing their own newspaper,
called Di Patriot. Die Zuid Afrikaan, a Dutch language
newspaper, began publishing in Cape Town in 1828.

The continuing political problems between those of

English and Dutch descent spilled over into the media
arena. Those of Dutch descent were unhappy about
being under British influence and control. When the
Dutch moved north, they also decided to establish
newspapers in the areas that fell under their control.
To promote and protect their interests in the mining
areas, the Dutch descendants two more newspapers,
De Staats Courant in 1857 and De Volksten in 1873.

As the number of white settlers in South Africa

increased, chain newspapers arrived in South Africa
with the launch of the Cape Argus in 1857 and Cape
Times in 1876. As relations between the Dutch and
the English speakers worsened, the press became
more partisan, taking sides in the disputes between
the two groups. But after the 1889-1902 Anglo-Boer
ended, with the English victorious, the Union of South
Africa was born, which brought together English-
speaking Natal and Cape Town on one side with the
Dutch republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State.

By the time this came about, English-language and

Dutch language newspapers were pretty much in
place. On the English side were the Eastern Province
Herald, first published in 1845; the Natal Witness,
1846; the Natal Mercury, 1852; the Daily News, 1854;
The Argus, 1857; Daily Dispatch, 1872; Cape Times,
1876; Diamond Fields Advertiser, 1878; and The Star,
1887.

The first non-English and non-Dutch newspapers also

emerged at this time, with Indian Opinion in 1904;
and two African newspapers, Imvo Zabantsundu in
1884 and Ilanga Losa in 1904.

Although aimed at English-speaking merchants,

professionals, and civil servants, the English press
also found some ardent readers among the Dutch.
This was also the time that the English press
established its dominance in many of South Africa's
largest cities. Among such newspapers was the Rand
Daily Mail, which was founded in 1902. For a while it
became one of the most influential newspapers in
South Africa. The South African Associated Press, now
Times Media, became the biggest chain of Sunday and
daily morning newspapers in the country.

During the days of apartheid and since that time,

alternative newspapers have made their appearance
in South Africa to challenge the country's emergency,
censorship, and national security regulations. They
often frequently challenged the government of the
day by carrying stories that challenged or
contradicted the official view, especially on
controversial issues. Although the banned ANC and
some of its allies and rivals often published
underground publications to spread their version of
events among their followers, many of the alternative
newspapers did not have a partisan political agenda.
Instead, they tended to produce and publish stories
that were at variance with the official version and
would often include details not available in the
mainstream media, which were usually reluctant to go
too far in challenging the apartheid regime.

Among the more prominent such publications were

the English language Weekly Mail and Sunday Nation
and the Afrikaans language Vrye Weekblad and
South. The Weekly Mail had a circulation between
25,000 and 50,000. These alternative publications
played a crucial role in the waning days of apartheid
because they provided an alternative point of view
and were a source of information on the thinking and
activities of those groups that sought to dismantle
apartheid and everything it stood for. They also
played another equally important role, by showing
blacks and other anti-apartheid groups that not all
whites were monolithic and unquestioning supporters
of the idea of forced racial segregation and separate
racial development.

However, the end of apartheid was not good news for

such publications. Foreign funding largely dried up.
Such publications could no longer sell themselves or
attract attention because of their anti-apartheid
views. Among the survivors, however, is the Weekly
Mail, which now calls itself the Weekly Mail and
Guardian. It is still an alternative to the mainstream
media with criticisms of the ANC government.

News Papers:
The history of newspapers in South Africa dates back
to 1800, when the Governor of the Cape Colony
initiated the publishing of the government-controlled
Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser. The first
privately owned newspaper, the SA Commercial
Advertiser was published in 1824, with Thomas
Pringle and John Fairbairn as editors. The first Dutch
language newspaper, De Zuid Afrikaan was published
in 1830, the first African language newspaper,
Umshumayeli Wendaba in 1837 and the first Afrikaans
language newspaper, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, in 1876.
The current newspaper industry is in a fairly healthy
state. According to a South African Audit Bureau of
Circulation (ABC) survey, South Africa has 20 daily
and 13 weekly newspapers, most in English. Some
14.5-million South Africans buy the urban dailies,
while community newspapers have a circulation of
5.5-million. There is also a range of general and
specialized news websites which, in terms of the
speed and breadth of their coverage, are on a par
with the best in the world.

South Africa has always had a courageous and

opinionated press. For over 40 years the apartheid
state tried to gag the country's newspapers, using
legislation, harassment and imprisonment,
culminating in the late-1980s States of Emergency.
Through all of this, SA's press continued to report on
all the news they could.

Influential Newspapers:
It is estimated that more than 5,000 newspapers,
journals, and periodicals are produced regularly,
almost all of them using the most modern technology
and equipment. The Johannesburg Star, an English
language daily paper, has a circulation in the 200,000
to 250,000 range. It is one of the best circulating
newspapers in sub-Saharan Africa and is South
Africa's largest and most influential newspaper. The
Star is part of the Argus Group, the biggest
publishing company in South Africa and, indeed, in all
of Africa. It has publishing interests in other African
countries.

Another influential newspaper in South Africa is the

Sowetan, an English language black newspaper that
circulates primarily in Soweto, a sprawling
Johannesburg township, and in Johannesburg proper.
The Sowetan, established in 1981, has a daily
circulation in the 200,000 to 250,000 range. Most of
its readers are blacks. Other influential South African
newspapers include Beeld, a daily Afrikaans language
newspaper published in Johannesburg, and Die
Burger, an Afrikaans daily published in Cape Town.
Both have daily circulations in the 100,000 to 125,000
range.

The Sunday Times, an English language newspaper

published in Johannesburg, has a circulation in the
450,000 to 500,000 range. It is the largest and most
influential weekly paper in South Africa.

The City Press, an English language weekly

established in 1983 in Johannesburg, has a circulation
in the 250,000 to 300,000 range, while the Rapport, a
weekly Afrikaans language paper established in 1970
in Johannesburg, circulates 250,000 to 300,000
newspapers.

Newspaper Chains:
South Africa has four major newspaper chains: Argus
Newspapers, which accounts for 45 percent of all
daily South African newspaper sales, especially in the
major cities. The Johannesburg Star, The ArgusThe
Cape Times, the Daily News and Natal Mercury, and
the Pretoria News and the Sunday Tribune. Next, in
terms of size and influence, is Times Media, formerly
South African Associated Newspapers, the country's
second largest English language newspaper chain. Its
other properties include Business Day, the Eastern
Province Herald, and the Evening Post in Port
Elizabeth. The Sunday Times is also part of the Times
Media stable.The two Afrikaans language chains are
Nasionale Pers (Naspers, whose properties include
Beeld, Die Bur ger, and Die Volksblad. Naspers also
has a 50 percent share in Rapport and also owns City
Press, a large Sunday paper that targets black
readers.

Magazines:
South Africa has a very robust magazine industry with
an estimated 280 locally-published titles available;
imported magazines add to this number considerably.
The industry's annual turnover in 1998 was estimated
to be about R 1.7 billion.

While the mass consumer market sector is dominated

by only a few publishers (Naspers, Perskor, CTP
Holdings, TML), the specialist consumer and trade &
technical sectors are very fragmented and contain a
large number of small- and medium-sized publishers
in addition to the aforementioned major players.

As could be expected from South Africa's recent

history, its magazine market is (still) characterized by
definite differences in the readership of magazines
amongst the country's different race groups. A
decline in traditional mass consumer magazine titles
versus the growth of specialist titles also
characterizes the industry, as does the growth of
magazines specifically aimed at black South Africans,
such as Drum.

Naspers is the dominant player in the mass consumer

magazine sector and sells about two thirds of all the
magazines read in South Africa, including imported
magazines. The company publishes large national
titles such as Fair Lady, Sarie, Insig, SA Sports
Illustrated, Kickoff, Huisgenoot, You and Drum. The
Afrikaans language family magazine Huisgenoot has
the largest circulation of any South African magazine
and is followed by You, its English language version;
these two magazines have a combined circulation of
almost one million copies a week. Fair Lady and Sarie
are South Africa's largest selling English- and
Afrikaans-language women's magazines, respectively.

Other large mass market publishers are Perskor

(Republican Press), CTP Holdings and Times Media.
Specialist consumer magazines are also published by
the aforementioned publishers, as well as by Primedia
Publishing, Kagiso Media and Ramsay Son & Parker.
In the trade and technical sector Primedia is the
largest publisher.

Books:
The book publishing industry in South Africa is
relatively small, but it is nevertheless a key factor in
its economy - there are more than 120 publishers in
the country, according to the Publishers' Association
of South Africa (PASA). Among these are commercial
publishers, university presses, non-governmental
organizations and one-person privately owned
publishers. Of the 120 publishers who are members of
the PASA, about 12 are classified as large publishers,
7 as medium-sized publishers and the remaining 101
as small publishers.

Books are published in all eleven official languages of

South Africa as well as in some non-official and
foreign languages. Works published include fiction,
non-fiction, children's books, reference works as well
as school and university textbooks. Electronic
publishing is also a growing segment of the
publishing industry. While some publishers specialize
in the type of books they produce (for example
textbooks), the majority of the large and medium
publishers publish in several categories.

There are also a number of book importers and

distributors active in South Africa as the great
majority of books sold in South Africa (especially
fiction) are still imported, mostly from Britain and the
United States. This has resulted in relatively high
prices being charged for books in comparison with the
income of the average South African.

The South African publishing industry employs about

3,000 people full-time, as well as many freelance
workers. In addition, it is estimated that the South
African publishing industry employs about 9,000
authors (full- and part-time), who together earn an
estimated R 150 million in royalties annually. The
book-printing and bookselling are also largely
dependent on this industry.

Television in South Africa:

South Africa TV broadcasting started in 1976 in some
of the major cities of the country. Despite being the
most economically advanced country on the
continent, South Africa was among the last countries
in Africa to introduce television broadcasting to its
population. TV in South Africa is broadcast in eleven
official languages and also in German, Hindi and
Portuguese. South Africans now have access to a wide
spectrum of local and international drama, comedy,
sports and news through their televisions.

History of South Africa TV:

The South African television took a long time to
establish itself as one of the advanced media of
communication. The country was the last westernized
country to introduce television. For a comparatively
long time the conservative apartheid regime regarded
TV as negative influence on the society. While in
1971, the authority in South Africa declared that the
establishment of television would progress the self-
development of the people of South Africa. When
South Africa TV was launched, it was the second
terrestrial television service in Africa to launch with a
color service. Thus South Africa TV broadcasting
began in 1976, which reached an audience of 50
million people in and outside South Africa.

The government at the time had resisted the

introduction of television, fearing that it would dilute
the state's control over the press and radio.

Since its launch, South African television has been

broadcast in colour, on the PAL system. The relatively
late introduction of television to the country had its
advantages, as the state-controlled South African
Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was able to skip the
expensive transition between black-and-white and
colour.

The SABC's broadcasting monopoly ended in 1986

when the subscription-based MNet was launched.

Since the advent of democracy in 1994, South

Africans have seen a number of new television
channels introduced by both the SABC and other
private operators. Both the SABC and MNet broadcast
across Africa.

South Africa TV Channels:

South Africa TV had different channels for diverse

groups of languages. At the end of 1980's the SABC,
the newly formed channel was broadcasting in eleven
languages. Today SABC has a public character, which
is government owned and does not have competitors.
Then in 1998 came the private channel E-TV, which
became quite popular with huge number of viewers in
South Africa. M-Net is another alternative to the SABC
channels but is not allowed to carry news. The M-Net
channel provides mainly documentaries, films, series
and sports. M-Net was born out of political needs like
the idea that there had to be an independent
television channel. Thus M-Net started operating in
1986 and became popular with the passage of time.
M-Net channel is nowadays mainly shared by the four
media companies.

Television is considered to have an hypnotic effect on

person but presently South Africa TV has become one
of the well-established and popular mediums of
communication.

Digital technology:
The first digital television implementation in South
Africa was a satellite-based system launched by pay-
TV operator Multichoice’s in 1995. On 22 February
2007 the South African government announced that
the country's public TV operators would be
broadcasting in digital by 1 November 2008, followed
by a three year dual-illumination period which would
end on 1 November 2011.

Satellite television:
South African-based Multichoice's DStv is the main
digital satellite television provider in sub-Saharan
Africa, broadcasting principally in English, but also in
Portuguese, German and Afrikaans. Another entrant
into the satellite television circuit in Africa is
MyTvAfrica, a subsidiary of Dubai based Strong
Technologies. Satellite television has been far more
successful in Africa than cable, primarily because the
infrastructure for cable television does not exist and
would be expensive to install since majority of
Africans cannot afford paid cable television.
Furthermore, maintaining a cable network is
expensive due to the need to cover larger and more
sparsely populated areas though there are some
terrestrial pay-TV and MMDS services. The launch of
Free2view has made satellite TV available to the
masses in Africa. Free2view currently broadcasts
MSNBC as its exclusive news channel and is about to
roll out additional channels.
CENSORSHIP:
The National Party used censorship freely to control
what the media published. The Publications Act of
1974 gave the South African government the power
to censor movies, plays, books, and other
entertainment programs, as well as the right to
decide what South Africans could or could not view.
Books critical of apartheid or racial discrimination
were routinely barred. Movies showing interracial
relationships were banned from television and from
the movies. The National Party government had
appointed itself as the guardian of public morals and
behavior.

The new constitution did away with these old

behaviors. Censorship laws, policies, and regulations
from the apartheid era were scrapped. South Africa,
which had become notorious because of its prudish
standards, was now open to all types of media,
movies, and entertainment. Writers and producers no
longer have to worry about censorship or how to beat
it. The government has basically left it to the public
to decide what it wants to see or read.

Because the new South African constitution protects

freedom of expression and of the media, South
African Broadcasting Corporation employees are
finally free from the strictures and controls imposed
on them during the apartheid days. Although the
South African government appoints the SABC board of
directors, it has not tried to choose only those who
support its policies and programs. This has produced
an ironic situation where the ANC has allowed and
tolerated the use of SABC for the airing and exchange
of various views, including those whose views are
anathema to the ANC government. So far, South
Africa has escaped a problem afflicting many African
countries—where presidents and their governments
have taken over radio and television and used them
as propaganda agencies, often denying opposition
groups, parties, and critics access to the airwaves,
even when the broadcast media are subsidized by
license fees and public funds. So far, the ANC
government has resisted the temptation to interfere
with the running and programming of SABC television
and radio.

News Agencies:
SAPA, which is a national news agency, is a co-
operative, non-profit news gathering and distribution
organization operating in the interest of the public
and its members. SAPA's foreign news is received
from Associated Press and its representatives in
London.

The main foreign news agency in South Africa are

AFP, Associated Press, Deutsche Presse Agentur,
Reuters and United Press International.

Advertising:
The advertising industry in South Africa is dynamic,
growing and highly competitive. The industry started
more than 60 years ago with the founding of the first
advertising agency, Lindsay Smothers-FCB. Adspend
in 1997 totaled R536 million.
STATE-PRESS RELATIONS:
Under apartheid, the government controlled the
media. The government decided what was news. For
example, if a journalist witnessed a shootout between
security forces and guerrilla fighters, that story could
not be reported until it was verified or confirmed by
official sources. If the journalist saw bodies of slain
soldiers or police officers, he or she could not report
that information until it came from official sources. If
the police or army denied that any security force
personnel had been killed or wounded or that the
skirmish had occurred, then such news, regardless of
how much information the journalist had, could never
be published or broadcast.

During apartheid, foreign and domestic journalists

operating in South Africa had to walk through a
minefield of legislation designed to prevent the
independent publication of information that might
embarrass the government. It was the job of
journalists and editors to check the laws before
deciding what information could be published. Many
journalists were reduced to self-policing and self-
censorship to avoid breaking the law. Fines,
imprisonment, even banning awaited those
publications that dared break or challenge these
laws. Under the new constitution, South African
media and journalists are enjoying unparalleled
freedoms. Except for libel laws, they are free to
publish any type of news, without having to worry
about what laws they may be violating.

In most other African countries, the government has

instituted a domestic news agency to serve as the
procurer or disseminator of news from other parts of
Africa and/or the world. The South African Press
Association (SAPA), the country's domestic news
agency, transmits about 100,000 words of domestic
and foreign news daily to its members. Additionally,
the Associated Press (American), Reuters (British),
Agence-France Presse (French), and Deutsche Presse-
Agentur (German) operate from South Africa. SAPA
also cooperates with the Pan African News Agency
(PANA), an organization that receives news from all
over the continent to distribute within the country.
SAPA also sends South African stories to PANA for
distribution to other African countries.

Press freedom:
Press freedom has a chequered history in South
Africa as well as a dubious current state. While some
sectors of the South African media openly criticized
the apartheid system and the National Party
government, they were hampered by various amounts
of government censorship during the years. For
example, journalist Donald Woods became renowned
after he fled to live in the United Kingdom in exile and
expose the truth behind the death of Steve Biko, the
leader of the Black Consciousness Movement. After
the end of apartheid in 1994 however, censorship
ended and a new constitution was enacted which has
a Bill of Rights that guarantees that every citizen has
the right to freedom of expression, which includes
freedom of the press and media, the freedom to
receive or impart information or ideas, freedom of
artistic creativity, academic freedom, and freedom of
scientific research.

These freedoms are generally respected in practice

and the press is considered relatively free. Laws
concerning the media and political control over its
content are generally considered to be moderate and
there is little evidence of repressive measures against
journalists. In consequence, South Africa is ranked
joint 31st (with Australia) in Reporters without
Borders' worldwide index of press freedom 2005.

However, there has also been criticism of certain

aspects of the freedom of the press in South Africa. It
has been pointed out that almost all the large daily
newspapers are owned by just four large media firms,
which could lead to pro-Corporate bias. In addition,
the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC),
which is the public broadcaster, is argued by many to
carry a fairly strong pro-ruling party (African National
Congress (ANC)) bias, especially considering the fact
that the majority of its management and executive
staff are either ANC members or ANC aligned.

Some media aspects of the Oilgate scandal have also

been a cause for concern as was the banning of the
publication of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad
in South Africa by Judge Mohammed Jajbhay on 3
February 2006.

The Freedom of Expression Institute is concerned

about declining levels of media freedom in South
Africa, and calls on all South Africans to use the
opportunity of National Press Freedom Day (October
19) to reflect on the implications of this trend for the
country. Over the past year, South Africa has
witnessed growing threats to the independence of the
communications sector, as well as rise of pre-
publication censorship and pressure on the
confidentiality of journalistic sources of information,
as well as sources themselves. The FXI is also
concerned about the deteriorating state of media
freedom at the public broadcaster, the South African
Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), as well as the
increasing trend towards media consolidation. The
Institute hopes that these trends will not continue
next year. Civil society and journalists must unite to
reverse these trends before they become extremely
difficult to reverse.

According to media reports, the SABC blacklisted

certain commentators and analysts which may be
critical of the government.

ATTITUDE TOWARDS FOREIGN MEDIA:

South Africa always has welcomed the foreign media,
except when articles critical of apartheid (during the
days of apartheid rule) were published. At the height
of the apartheid era, many African, American, and
European journalists and editors were placed on a
prohibited list. Those who had written or published
articles critical of apartheid and what it stood for
often found themselves unable to obtain visas to visit
South Africa.

In the 1980s and 1990s, apartheid was a major story.

Many American newspapers, including The New York
Times, Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles
Times and the Washington Post, had correspondents
permanently stationed in South Africa. Many
European journalists were also in South Africa. The
major American television networks (ABC, CBS, and
NBC) also had correspondents stationed in South
Africa or in nearby countries.

Time and Newsweek also sold their magazines in

South Africa. South Africans could listen to news
broadcasts from the Voice of America, the British
Broadcasting Corporation, and other Western short
wave radio outlets. The ANC and its allies also had
access to radio waves in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana,
Tanzania, and other countries from which they
broadcast messages to their colleagues in South
Africa. Although it was illegal to listen to such
broadcasts, many people tuned in to them.

The Mbeki government has allowed the Voice of

America, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and
other international broadcast media, as well as
journalists from the world's print media, to come to
South Africa and to operate freely, even when they
sometimes highlight embarrassing stories—such as
the one about the government's failure or reluctance
to confront the HIV/AIDS pandemic that has ravaged
that country. Laws from the apartheid era, which
controlled, censored, and intimidated journalists,
have disappeared. Foreign journalists and media are
freely welcomed in South Africa today and given
access to government officials. They are also able,
without licensing or accreditation, to roam freely
around the country, interviewing whomever they
want.

EDUCATION & TRAINING;

South African colleges and universities, newspapers,
and American and British foundations have been the
main sources for the training of future journalists.
Many of the leading universities do offer journalism
programs and degrees. Workshops and seminars have
also been held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia,
and other African countries to offer training in
environmental, economic, and investigative reporting.

SUMMARY:
The future looks very bright for the South African
media. A new constitution protects a Bill of Rights
and also guarantees freedom of expression and of the
media. Although the Mbeki government has been
unhappy about how it has sometimes been treated by
the media and how the president has been
caricatured, there has been no attempt to censor or
punish the media or to pass laws to regulate the
media or to prevent them from doing their job of
making the government accountable for its actions.
The South African media are emerging from their
days of battling and suffering under apartheid laws to
become true defenders of media freedom in a
democratic society.
The South African Media are governed by a set of
principles and beliefs that are rooted in a strong
libertarian framework. This represents the official
position in the South African Media Context. However,
there are clearly different views as to what
constitutes appropriate media behavior in the post-
aparthied, legitimately governed, democratic South
Africa.

The government expects media support. Some media

do subscribe to the principle of imposing “moral
censorship” on itself in the name of advancing
democracy and supporting the legitimate
government. The coverage of news and other issues
display clear biases in relation to political and
governmental support. Others have placed
themselves in the direct line of government’s wrath
by assuming the watch dog role. Their stance is clear:
their job is to keep government accountable and
honest.

The challenge for the media in South Africa is to

critically engage with the question: how do the media
influence and encourage equitable and appropriate
change and to question inequity and inefficiency in
this fledgling democracy?

Today's South African journalists now operate in a

country where they are free to criticize the
government, scrutinize its actions, and even make fun
of the country's political leaders—without the
prospect of prison and hefty fines hanging over their
heads. South Africa has emerged from being a
journalistic pariah to one of the freest and most
democratic countries in the world. The experience has
been dizzying for the media, the public, and the new
government. The public seems to have become more
accommodating to the idea that journalists have a
duty to be responsible, without betraying their
values, training, and commitment to being the
purveyors of information and news, to a public that
needs to be informed, educated, and entertained.

My View:
It Is my view that the Media of South Africa is one of
the best and is one of the most free in the world.
The Media of South Africa's enjoys considerable
freedom and independence. We have seen that from
the past few years the media of South Africa has
technologically advanced, which has removed the
distance between the news and the Public. The Media
is changing globally to reduce the gap between
entertainment, advertising, and investigative
reporting. If that is the case, the news media will
further become a menu of options for cultural and
selective consumption, thus further reducing the
importance of the news media, even as it expands.

There are some bigger problems which South Africa

is currently facing; in this case the media should play
an important role to solve these problems.
South Africa should put the freedom of its press and
media at the top of its priorities as a democracy.
None or our irritations with the perceived
inadequacies of the media should ever allow us to
suggest even faintly that the independence of the
press could be compromised or coerced. A bad free
press is preferable to a technically good, subservient
press.