Media Appeals Tribunal

To achieve a deeper democracy, it is necessary to confront the tensions that have existed between the media and successive presidents since 1994.

Evidence at the inquiry into state capture of publications and journalists being paid from the State Security Agency slush fund are alarming

SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said this week that it was time for independent regulation of the print media industry.

As the ANC goes to its elective conference in Mangaung, we look at the resolutions made at the 2007 Polokwane conference. What have they achieved?

There is a great deal of important detail still to be finalised, but we should now put the idea of a statutory press commissariat behind us.

NEWS ANALYSIS: There is little clarity about the form a media appeals tribunal is likely to take.

<b>Nic Dawes</b> says the media should not be embarrassed by Chris Vick, who speaks for money and power, and not for "the little people" as he claims.

The Press Council’s Ombudsman has reported to editors a 70% increase over the last three years in the number of complaints about newspaper reports.

At the Press Freedom Commission hearings, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela called for the press ombud to be "beefed up" and given more autonomy.

Newspaper editors have warned the Press Freedom Commission that introducing a media appeals tribunal would be "the death knell of a free press".

The ANC still wants "independent regulation" for the media, arguing that self-regulatory efforts are undermined by vested interests.

But the trade union federation stops short of calling for a mandatory media tribunal.

Commission is embarking on a campaign to elicit debate and is researching possible regulation.

COMMENT: Parliamentary indaba an attempt to usher in a media appeals tribunal through the side door

<b>Franz Krüger</b> looks at some of the key elements of the Press Council of South Africa’s review that was released on August 18.