A little thing called ‘freedom’

As this is my final blog, it seems only appropriate to wrap up with a note on the proposed national media laws. For those not in the know, government is planning on passing the following two laws through parliament:

• The proposal of a government-run media appeals tribunal (MAT) in place of the current Press Ombudsman and Appeals Panel
• The Protection of Information Bill which will allow for information to be easily classified, and, under initial drafts, warrants a 25-year prison sentence to any journalist who exposes such information

In Noob terms, freedom of expression is under threat and the so-called transparency of our democracy is about to become that much murkier. See The Media Institute of Southern Africa for more info: http://www.misa.org/