Time to see sense![](https://biz-file.com/b/1008/54522.jpg?1) The giant world media bodies WAN-IFRA and the WEF have joined many others in the fight against media repression in South Africa - one of the few countries on the continent with any respect for the freedom of information. The organisations have addressed a joint open letter to President Jacob Zuma urging him to ensure the Protection of Information Bill and the Media Appeals Tribunal proposal are amended or disregarded altogether. Numerous media and civil rights organisations as well as businesses have spoken out, condemning the proposed legislation as unconstitutional, but to little avail as the ruling party have yet to show any signs of seeing sense. So what will it take if letters and statements from far and wide are not enough to convince the South African government that these laws are unacceptable? Do we have to gather our placards and march to the doors of Parliament and toyi-toyi (which ironically enough originates from Zimbabwe)? And why exactly is South Africa still fighting for a free press? Did we not already win this battle with the fall of apartheid? The relationship between the state and media has certainly gone awry, but muzzling the media by brute force is certainly not the way to fix anything. Instead of focusing on the problem, let's come up with solid solutions and turn this potentially disastrous frown, upside down! Cheers, Sindy Peters, Africa editor
Responses to this column welcomed in our online editor's column archive.
Send all your Africa marketing news to africanews@bizcommunity.com.
Today's top stories
Special focus on media freedom
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55979.jpg?1) The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum (WEF) have written an open letter to South African president Jacob Zuma denouncing the proposed Protection of Information Bill and the Media Appeals Tribunal currently before parliament. The organisations have expressed concern over the proposed legislations' threat to media freedom. Read more >> [Chris Stein] JOHANNESBURG: International media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks South Africa's press as among the freest on the continent. Two proposed new measures are drawing unfavourable comparisons to repressive laws in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55970.jpg) NEW YORK: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Friday, 20 August 2010, warned that the continuing crisis for independent journalism in The Gambia adds to the uncertainty facing one of the country's journalists who has been detained in Israel. Read more >>Branding
AFRICA Correction: MAZ brand contest, no Superbrands associationIn the article Zim: Over 100 brands up for Superbrand contest by Dumisani Ndlela, published on Friday, 20 August 2010, Bizcommunity Africa incorrectly published the Superbrands logo in accompaniment to the article. The international Superbrands company has no association whatsoever with the Marketing Association of Zimbabwe's Superbrand - Brand of the Year 2010 competition. We apologise for the error. Digital
[Alistair Fairweather] Measuring your brand's social media equity can be a tricky business. Confronted by the multitude of platforms, buzzwords and measurement tools you might be tempted to simplify both your metrics and your strategies. After all, who's to say that a follower on Twitter is more or less valuable than a fan on Facebook? Read more >>Advertisement:![](https://biz-file.com/b/1007/51215.jpg?1)
[Rob Dickens] If you've got a Facebook Page then you need to be aware of some changes being implemented from the 23rd of August. Facebook recently announced the changes on the Developer's Blog and if you have a page you will probably have noticed this announcement at the top: Get ready for your streamlined Page. Read more >>Education and Training
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA: The Ministry of Education of Namibia, in cooperation with the UNESCO office in Windhoek, held a meeting on creating a digital education library for Namibia. The meeting, which took place last Friday, 20 August 2010, discussed the Namibian Digital Education Library Needs Assessment, commissioned by UNESCO and prepared by Open Learning Exchange. Read more >>Media
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55998.jpg) Bizcommunity.com's very own Issa Sikiti da Silva, a freelance journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has won an award in the Print category of the SADC Media 2010 Awards, SADC secretariat and the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) announced late last week. Read more >>Retail
[Dumisani Ndlela] There is a new signal that seasons have changed in Zimbabwe, and it is the apparel shops displaying "winter clearance sale" or "summer fashions just arrived" signs on their display windows. Read more >> Advertisement:![](https://biz-file.com/b/1007/52425.gif?2)
COTONOU, BENIN: The Benin-based Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), with technical and financial support from Japan has launched a project to help African rice farmers maximise the potential of inland valleys, through ecological management. Read more >>TV
[Gregory Gondwe] Multichoice Malawi, early last week, launched its latest DStv bouquet offering, DStv Compact PLUS. The facility has over 47 news, lifestyle and entertainment channels and a total of seven sports channels namely SuperSport 7, SuperSport 9, SuperSport Blitz, SuperSport 10, TellyTrack, ESPN and ESPN Classic. Read more >> ![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55993.jpg) MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS: On 23 September, world class media thinkers including Jeff Jarvis, Rafat Ali, Mark Glaser and Paul Bradshaw, will join EJC for a day of debates on the future of journalism at PICNIC 2010. Read more >>[Hamish Thompson] LONDON, UK: Hamish Thompson talks to DJ and musician Ben Watt, of Everything About the Girl about the role of Twitter in the music industry. Read more >> More International news...
[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Scooting around in a little pocket rocket can be bags of fun, particularly if you are lining up at the traffic lights in a cheeky little Suzuki Swift - not the standard model, but the testosterone-fed Sport derivative. Read more >> More Motoring news...
[Ruth Cooper] I used to like Jax Panik, even though it was formulaic pop music it was tongue in cheek and didn't take itself too seriously, a phenomenon that is not often found in the sickly sweet pop world. But somehow the new Jax Panik track Get Up (if you're hot) featuring HC seems to have lost its sense of humour. Read more >> [Ilva Pieterse] I caught up with Dead Alphabet at Oppikoppi "Sexy.Crooked.Teeth" for a quick interview after their show. Friends since high-school, this local rock band is made up of: Adam Edwards on vocals and guitar; Justin Gent on drums; Hugh Hunt on bass guitar; and Phil Klawansky on guitar and Vocals. Here is what they had to say. Read more >> More BizLounge news...
"Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success." - Anonymous
Print - Print any item in this newsletter.
Email - Email any item in this newsletter.
Comment - Comment on any item in this newsletter.
|
|
|