Media reports about the abuse of cleaning staff by students at the University of the Free State got horrified responses from various quarters. In this climate of public outrage, the print media had the choice of whether to make the identities of the offenders and victims public, or not. Most media s...
This book, published by the Open Society Foundation and written by various organisations, offers insignt into the South African Media Statutory Bodies. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the Universal Services Agency, and the Media...
As a reader of Daily Sun newspaper, you will very possibly have a different understanding of what recently happened in Zandspruit, Honeydew than if you were a reader of The Star. The angle these two newspapers took on the story of the 7-year old girl who was found dead on the 10th March 2008 allow [...
The ANC Conference in December was without doubt the best and biggest media show in town. It came at a time when traditionally the media has to hunt for stories as key activities wind down and people go on holiday towards the end of the year. Coverage of the conference was extensive across almost al...
This article written by MMP’s director, William Bird, for the Open Society Institute of Southern Africa, presents an argument for the power of media monitoring, articulated by Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka....
There is no doubt that media freedom is essential for a functioning democracy, but it can be extremely difficult to realise and protect in a country where media have been used as a key tool of repression. Rwanda’s recent violent history provides a powerful argument for media monitoring. This artic...
Reporting on Africa is a complex, as Africa is a continent with about 800 million people, with 54 countries of which South Africa is the southern tip. Such diversity would seemingly warrant good background data to allow the newspaper readers to understand the context of events. However, from thi...
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) pose a challenge to media in South Africa and around the world. This is not surprising, as the regulatory and legal framework surrounding IPR is also imperfect. It seems that without specialist legal knowledge on IPR, it is difficult to understand the various issue...
The Media Monitoring Project (MMP) has been petitioning government to change the proposed Film and Publications Amendment Bill. While it is crucial to protect the rights of children, the MMP argues that the Bill has negative implications for media freedom in South Africa. Amongst other things, it is...