Posts in Media
The latest on the Secrecy Bill
Call it the Protection of Information Bill, 
or the Protection of State Information Bill, or the Secrecy Bill, it is possibly the single most controversial bill to be mooted by parliament. There is a tug-of-war situation between the state – which wants to implement the bill as soon as possible with as few amendments as possible and as great a control as possible – and the public at large. For a while it looked like government would win – it as the greater pulling power after all – but after recent vociferous protests the bill has been postponed.
According to ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga, the reason for the postponement is that certain “sections of society [are] saying they still need to be heard”, apparently the government intends to listen to them.
First Steps to Becoming a Motoring Journalist
This is a guest post by Helen Pritchard.
Breaking into the world of motoring 
journalism may seem a difficult task but if you approach it in the correct way and with a determination to succeed, you too can be writing for your favourite motoring publication. If you’ve just finished your studies or if you’re considering a change of career, motoring journalism can be a rewarding path that is accessible to anyone with a skill for writing and a passion for cars.
Writing to the major motoring publications in the first instance is likely to prove fruitless if you don’t have any experience, so motoring journalism, as with all careers of this kind will require you to start at the bottom and work your way up.
Tags: journalism, journalist, motor journalist
Street papers trump traditional media in sales
Do you know what street papers are? 
They’re newspapers, or magazines, sold by the homeless and marginalised masses around the globe. The Big Issue is probably the best known example of a street paper, or magazine, rather.
Did you know that there is an International Network of Streetpapers (INSP)?
Well, there is and it recently held its annual conference in Glasgow. The topics discussed were interesting and varied, such as making poverty illegal, but one of the most pertinent things to come out of the conference was the steady growth in street paper sales, which is especially significant in light of the fact that traditional media sales are dropping, and quickly.
Tags: media, street papers, the big issue
Qwelane calls it quits while Bullard refuses to take any bull
By Megan Diener
There has been a flurry of hate speech court cases 
this year. Two recent hate speech trails in the journalistic fraternity include those of former columnists David Bullard from the Sunday Times and Jon Qwelane from the Sunday Sun.
In Qwelane’s case, an article that promoted anti-gay sentiment was found to be hate speech causing hatred and harm. He was found guilty by the Johannesburg Equality Court on Tuesday 31 May.
The court found that the controversial column and cartoon had negative implications on the homosexual community.
The article in question was published in the Sunday Sun on 20 July 2008 and is entitled ‘Call me names, but gay is NOT okay’.
Tags: hate speech, sunday sun, sunday times
Journalists in the line of fire
Reporters often put themselves in dangerous 
situations to get the scoop on big stories. Here’s a look at the dangers of being a true journalist.
Bizcommunity reports that South Africa diplomats in the Libyan city of Tripoli are on high alert after South African freelance photographer, Anton Hammerl, was abducted. Hammerl was abducted on 4 April and is being held by Gaddafi loyalists.
According to The Media Online, South Africa re-opened its Libyan mission to try and track down the missing photojournalist but the only information Internationals Relations Minister Maite Nkoane-Mashabane could offer was that there are people on the ground following up on all possible leads.
Tags: journalists in the line of fire, the dangers of being a reporter
New editor for Zulu newspaper Isolezwe
South Africa has eleven official languages and a 
democracy that is just 17 years old. The media offers a number of television shows, magazines and print magazines that cater to the different cultures, interests and home languages of the locals. Isolezwe, a Zulu language daily newspaper, is one such publication and it recently got a new editor.
According to Bizcommunity, the new editor is seasoned journalist Mazwi Xaba. His appointment became effective on 1 April but Xaba has been responsible for the smooth running of the publication for almost five months.
Tags: durban, isolezwe, South Africa, zulu language newspaper
SANEF rejects Jimmy Manyi’s accusation about government censorship
Jimmy Manyi seems to enjoy the 
controversial spotlight he so comfortably fits into. The government’s spokesperson caused a stir in the local media when he stated that there was an oversupply of coloured people in the Western Cape. He’s now told the Mail&Guardian that the would be publishing a newspaper fortnightly because the media censors government information. The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) doesn’t agree.
Issa Sikiti da Silva reports that SANEF requested concrete evidence from Manyi to prove that editors are censoring government information. SANEF member, Raymond Louw, told Bizcommunity, “It should be borne in mind that this is a serious allegation he has made against the press.” Louw continued that SANEF would wait for Manyi to provide evidence before it takes the issue further but it hasn’t considered what further action would be taken.
Wits Declaration on media responsibilities and freedom
The media is an interesting monster. It’s simultaneously a medium for knowledge and freedom of speech and a conduit for corruption and lies. It’s a channel through which people can learn about their country, their fellow countrymen and the rest of the world and it’s a tool that government officials around the world have mastered the art of using for their own benefit. We can’t live with it, we can’t live without it. The new Wits Declaration has once more thrown the issue of freedom of information and the media in the spotlight.
Journalism reports that earlier this month the South African National Editor’s Forum (SANEF) and Wits Journalism hosted a conference at the Wits University on the rights, regulation and responsibilities of Africa’s media.
Tags: access to information, free media, sanef, south african national editor's forum, wits declaration
Mobiles roll in the media
Cell phones towers are popping up everywhere.
Mobile phones have enabled a good portion of South Africa’s population to access. A large number of residents still don’t have electricity in their homes so many access the web either at work, at internet cafés or on their cell phones. Locals can sometimes only go to the media using their BlackBerry or Nokia.
According to Tim Bishop from The Media Online, it’s time to mobilise. He says that in 2010 the local cell phone industry came into its own, and now most media work towards being accessible via a phone. It is the new mass medium.
Tags: media, mobile phones
Fairlady’s Consumer Awards
Freshpak Rooibos got top honours in the Health and Wellness category.
Recently the Fairlady magazine held its Consumer Awards where 191 contestants competed against one another across nine categories. Products are put to the Fairlady test to find out which are the most trusted and loved ones.
According to Fairlady, its readers trust the Test House to deliver results that are reliable and true. The 2010 Awards were a great success so this year the magazine decided to expand the range of categories to include . The judges, Editor Suzy Brokensha along with speciality editors Sally Kramer, Tasneem Larney, Candice-Lee Kannemeyer, Elizabeth Atmore and Justine Kiggen, were tasked with finding the best products within the categories that offer value, reliability and quality.
Tags: consumer wards, fairlady consumer awards, fairlady magazine, South Africa
