Recent shakeups at the South African Broadcasting Corporation have revived what seem to have become perpetual controversies over perceived government encroachments on the SABC's independence and pressure to adhere to a party line. Perhaps the question should be what role the government should play in the media at all. After all, every government tries to shape and twist and spin and control its image in the media. And other than the ubiquitous concerns over the attempts to control the news at SABC, South Africa has a free and vibrant and boisterous media culture. Even SABC has tremendous press freedom compared to most other state broadcasting arms in the region (admittedly this may not be the most edifying framework of comparison).
At the same time, SABC provides a vital service to South Africans, especially those masses without access to satellite television or M-Net, or who rely on the radio, and one wonders if simple privatization is not too facile an answer to the dilemma. Obviously in an ideal world SABC could operate as a parastatal organization with no interference. And hopefully that will be the end result once some of these latest issues blow over and once the ANC truly realizes that the cost of a free country is a free media. But it does seem to be a mistake to conflate interference, real and perceived, in the operation of the various outlets of the SABC with something more dire in South Africa.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
