Media News South Africa

The government and the media

NEWSWATCH: President Thabo Mbeki stressed last week that the government has no intention of limiting press freedom, reports the Mail & Guardian Online, and said that the controversial proposed amendments to the Films and Publications Act were a “genuine attempt to toughen the legal regime governing child pornography”, according to The Weekender. Essop Pahad, Minister in the Presidency, also suggested last week that the new Press Council should be an active bloodhound rather than a complaints body or watchdog, blogs Prof Guy Berger.

The Cape High Court ruled last week that Firstrand could not hide behind its clients “to protect itself against defamation by Noseweek magazine”, reports Business Day. IOL writes that, according to Cape deputy judge president Jeanette Traverso, “Publication of the fact that a person is a client of a specific bank does not infringe privacy rights”.

Business media houses may be facing further consolidation, reports Fin24.co.za: unlisted Mvelaphanda (Mvela) Holdings not only recently “helped fund Isingqi Investment Holdings' acquisition of a 25,1% share of Moneyweb Holdings for over R8m” but its majority-owned listed Mvelaphanda Group last week came to an agreement with fund manager Allan Gray “to buy up to 30% of the soon-to-be listed media operations of Avusa (provisionally named Opco)”. If this deal goes through, “it would make the wider Mvela group a common denominator between Moneyweb and Opco”.

Meanwhile, the Mail & Guardian Online reports that both journalist Margaret Legum and actor Henry Cele passed away last week.

The Times is promoting further interactivity by encouraging readers to SMS views and suggestions and to comment on stories online, which may also be published the following day in the print edition, blogs The Times' editor Ray Hartley. The online newspaper has also launched its special page on the presidential succession race.

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About Simone Puterman

Simone Puterman (@SimoneAtLarge) is currently editor-at-large at Marklives.com and deputy chair of the Sanef online editors subcommittee. After majoring in psychology and linguistics at Rhodes University, and then completing her honours in psychology, she has been in the world of B2B publishing since 1997, with 7.5 year stints at both WriteStuff Publishing and Bizcommunity.com (March 2006-August 2013). Email her at moc.sevilkram@enomis.
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