A new press council is being established by the newspapers of South Africa, the founding bodies committee of the Press Ombudsman’s Office said on Friday.
It will take over the administration of the offices of the press ombudsman and appeal panel, and include representatives of the public along with representatives of newspaper publishers, as well as editors and journalists of newspapers, said committee chairperson Raymond Louw.
”It will also amend the press code to include the definition and prohibition of child pornography,” he said.
The proposed definition of child pornography in the press code is intended to conform to the definition in the new Film and Publications Amendment Bill currently before Parliament, Louw added. ”The exact wording of the definition will be decided upon within the next few weeks.”
Journalists have argued that if the Bill goes through in its current form, a wide range of material — including newspapers — would be banned or restricted, and that less restrictive means could be used to protect children from harmful content and restrict child pornography. — Sapa