3 In February, supporters of a political party and municipal police assaulted a reporter from the private broadcaster eNCA and, in a separate incident, a former mayor and his bodyguards attacked a reporter with the privately owned newspaper Zululand Observer. Harassment of journalists has become increasingly physical, with SANEF expressing concern at ‘increasing incidents of violence against journalists around the country’. In a victory for media freedom, the court ruled in Maughan’s favour, saying that Zuma’s prosecution “had the hallmarks of a Slapp suit, designed to harass and intimidate.”. The private prosecution was widely seen as an attempt by Zuma to stop the journalist, Karyn Maughan, from reporting on his ongoing trial about corruption related to a multi-billion-dollar arms deal, with possible ramifications mooted that included damage to South Africa’s open justice system and the role reporters can play in defending it. In a case that the Committee to Protect Journalists says could have ‘serious repercussions for freedom of the press in South Africa’, ex-President Jacob Zuma sued an investigative journalist from News 24 and an advocate who Zuma claimed leaked confidential medical records. The results of the 2023 Digital News Report survey highlight the scale of this threat, with the SABC as the top news source for TV and radio news (52%), and second highest on the online list (50%). The president eventually appointed a board in mid-April. NGO Media Monitoring Africa and others argued that the absence of effective oversight jeopardises the SABC’s stability and has left millions of people under threat of having their ‘fundamental right to access to information’ denied. In February 2023 the president of South Africa was taken to court over his failure to appoint a new board for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Salaries were eventually paid in full, with shareholders agreeing to provide a capital injection, but this is an ominous harbinger of potential cuts to come. Commentators suggested this was more likely caused by the parent company taking a financial hit when they lost a court case with the state asset manager. In March 2023 Independent Media, owners of a number of leading national newspapers and the popular IOL website, told staff that they would only receive 75% of their salaries, which the company attributed to ‘declining revenues and rising cost structures’. More troublingly, left-leaning news outlet New Frame, which provided a much-needed voice on social justice and labour issues, also closed down amid recriminations and accusations of political interference and mismanagement, leaving some 25 staff out of work and a significant hole in the diversity of the news landscape. Perhaps related to this is that, after four years of growth, trust in news in South Africa is declining.ĭue to the termination of its licensing agreement, finance news site Business Insider South Africa closed after five years of operating, although its staff were reallocated into its parent organisation, Media24. The last year has been a challenging one for South African media, including the closing of two news sites, staff of a prominent media company not having their salaries paid in full, and high-profile legal challenges involving journalism that reflect fault lines in media freedom.
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