Barry Streek
The government is pressing ahead with its plans to establish an independent Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), which it hopes will start operating in the middle of next year.
It also says considerable consensus about the basic principles of the new agency has already been achieved, ahead of the publication of a position paper, which is expected in the middle of next month.
“There is definitely widespread consensus about the basic principles,” said Devan Pillay, director of policy at the Government Communication and Information Service (GCIS), who is leading the initiative for its establishment.
Minister in the Office of the President Essop Pahad told the National Assembly last week that a number of areas of consensus regarding the agency had already been identified.
Included in this consensus was that “the setting up of the MDDA is in the interest of our democracy and existing media, and such a body should have an arms-length relationship with the government as well as public and private media”.
Also included in this consensus was that the “government, the private media sector and international donors should mobilise resources to contribute to media diversity and this should include funds, training, print and distribution facilities”.
There was agreement that the MDDA should have the necessary authority but with a small structure. “Its operations should be transparent and it should provide assistance on the basis of broad criteria set out in policy,” said Pahad. There was also agreement that the MDDA “should not interfere in matters of media content”.
Pahad said despite some changes in media ownership, “the voices, particularly print media, remain in a few hands. Despite greater black and female participation in decision- making, the country’s media still does not adequately cater for the multiplicity of information needs within our vast country.
“The emergence of community voices in radio needs to be sustained and spread more widely, including into print.”
The initiative for the agency, headed by an interdepartmental steering committee, had gathered momentum with widespread consultations with key stakeholders, including media owners, community media representatives, NGOs, editors, the advertising industry and regulatory bodies.
Pahad said the GCIS was finalising research into detailed funding possibilities and some common ground in this area had been found, “including that we would avoid compulsory levies, given a commitment on the part of the private sector to contribute; that all other funds in the government dealing with media development would be amalgamated into the MDDA process; that a hierarchy of forms of assistance should be devised, including part-subsidies, grants and soft loans; and that the ratio of administrative expenditure to disbursements should not exceed 20 to 80.
“We intend to complete this process in the 2001/2002 financial year, so at last, South Africa can take yet another giant step towards true freedom of expression – the right of information and the possibility for millions to be heard,” said Pahad.
Pillay said the position paper will be released publicly once it has been approved by the Cabinet, and public comment within four to six weeks will be invited.
It also intends to submit legislation to Parliament later this year to provide for the establishment of the agency.
No budgets for the agency have been decided yet as they are awaiting a report by consultants on the various options.
“It is a major project. As Essop Pahad said, it is going to be independent of the government, even though we are initiating it,” said Pillay.
ENDS