M&G newspaper fighting solo Court battle to protects its sources

From 2009, the Mail & Guardian has revealed shocking details of corruption in tenders awarded to Bosasa by the department of correctional services. This was also at the same time the company was investigated for other corruption-related activities dating back to 2004/2005.

SA newspapers’ editors on the Info Bill

Today, 22 November 2011, marked the day when South African members of Parliament in the National Assembly – majority of whom are members of the ruling African National Congress – voted into law legislation what would apparently see disclosure of any state information being a criminal offence, and therefore seeing its leakers and publishers facing about 20 years imprisonment.

ANC does U-turn on the Info Bill public consultations,again

The ruling ANC has just issued a press statement saying it intends holding the public consultation on the Info bill across the country starting today, 18 November 2011. In a statement released on Friday evening, 18 November 2011, the ruling party said “a number of ANC Members of Parliament will this weekend interact with communities in various provinces on the Protection of State Information Bill”.

Was Mbeki wrong about Press Freedom in 1996?

In his inauguration speech for the South African National Editors’ Forum in 1996, former President Thabo Mbeki said: “It is my own firm view that Press Freedom in our country is not under threat” and that “no forces or institutions exist within our society which have the strength or power significantly to compromise such freedoms as those of expression and the press”. That was then, this is now. Let’s relive that year.

My highlights for 2010. What’s yours?

For me personally, I’d like to think that media freedom and the threat thereof have been one of the highlights for this year. For example: there is now Zapiro vs. Zuma issue underway and just before that we had the successful Supreme Court of Appeal ruling in favouring the Mail & Guardian newspaper and giving the presidency seven days to issue the newspaper with the Zimbabwe report commission by former president Thabo Mbeki although this is likely to be challenged through the Constitutional Court.