The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
Iceland has proposed a new law called the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI), report Richard Gizbert and Meenakshi Ravi of Al Jazeera. The proposed law has generated interest amongst journalists, civil rights organizations and media all over the world. The IMMI aims to bring together some of the most progressive media laws from all over the world to create one holistic law that will position Iceland at the forefront to protect journalists, whistle blowers and their sources from...
Jane Duncan -
The recent controversy about an e.tv story featuring two criminals who threatened robbery and violence during the 2010 World Cup, has raised once again the controversial issue of whether journalists should have a right to protect their confidential sources of information.
The journalists responsible for the story have been issued with subpoenas in terms of Section 205 of the Criminal Procedures Act. For many years, media freedom advocates have argued for an amendment to this provision...
The future of the profession of journalism appears to be in jeopardy, not only in South Africa, but throughout the world. Local newspapers are posting poor circulation figures, sending jitters throughout the industry, evidenced by an increasing number of articles in the media about the media. Recently, South Africans also witnessed the closure of Business Day's Weekender, a well-known weekly newspaper. Reasons for the print media's misfortune range from the growth of the Internet, to the...
Discussing language, politics and the role of the media in information dissemination at the Commonwealth Club in California earlier this month, Noam Chomsky also makes some interesting observations about nuclear powers, including Pakistan, which this week has been under siege of violence. Newspapers vs. the Internet Responding to the following question, Chomsky reflects on the role of newspapers and journalism in modern day society as well as access to information. In light of the...
Speaking at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, which ran from 10-19 September 2009, Michael Moore commented on the decline of American newspapers, comparing them to the industry in Europe, which still appears to be thriving. In Europe, Japan and many other countries, the primary source of funding for newspapers is circulation. Advertising is the secondary source of funding. However, in America, advertising is the primary source of funding and circulation, second. Moore argues,...
Richard Gizbert of Al Jazeera's Listening Post reports that Venezuela's media is divided along racial and political lines. Venezuela's media war is unrivalled with President Hugo Chavez's state-controlled media in one corner and the privately owned opposition media, in the other. The conflict between Chavez and the opposition media began almost as soon as he was elected as president. That said, Chavez does have some legitimate beefs with the private media. Some of them openly backed a coup...
