Herman Wasserman

The SABC is not the only public broadcaster marred by internal wrangling. Its British counterpart the BBC grapples with its own problems, writes Herman Wasserman.

Tony Blair’s attack on the media in his last days in power seemed like a sharp U-turn. In his early days as prime minister, he was the one who urged the Queen to embrace the postmodern media culture where celebrities were the new royals, writes Herman Wasserman.

For the media to contribute to a more non-racial society, it has to do more than avoid explicit racial stereotypes, racist hate speech or the linking of race with crime, writes Herman Wasserman.

"South Africans went to the brink of full-out civil war in the 1980s, but decided to go shopping instead." This description of the transition to democracy — by an unnamed Pan Africanist Congress cadre quoted by Graeme Addison in <i>The Media</i> magazine a while ago — came to mind while watching SABC3’s <i>Media Focus</i> two weeks ago. The programme featured a new SABMiller advert.