Journalists in South Africa on Sunday began a push for freedom of press rights that are endangered of being curtailed under a new bill proposed by the African National Congress (ANC).
The South African National Editors Forum published a declaration in all of South Africa’s main newspapers calling for the abolition of new media restrictions proposed under the Protection of Information Bill.
“Human dignity is indivisible from freedom of speech,” the editors wrote.
If passed, the bill would relabel as classified information that is currently free, and publishing such material would be a crime punishable by imprisonment. The bill would also put in place a government-established tribunal to judge media content, according to AP.
The declaration followed the arrest last Wednesday of Mzilikazi wa Afrika, a Sunday Times reporter who wrote an article exposing alleged corruption by senior officials and police in the South African city of Pretoria.
The South African National Editors Forum published a declaration in all of South Africa’s main newspapers calling for the abolition of new media restrictions proposed under the Protection of Information Bill.
“Human dignity is indivisible from freedom of speech,” the editors wrote.
If passed, the bill would relabel as classified information that is currently free, and publishing such material would be a crime punishable by imprisonment. The bill would also put in place a government-established tribunal to judge media content, according to AP.
The declaration followed the arrest last Wednesday of Mzilikazi wa Afrika, a Sunday Times reporter who wrote an article exposing alleged corruption by senior officials and police in the South African city of Pretoria.
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