South African journalists have launched a campaign to fight what they say is an attempt to curtail media freedoms in a nation known for one of Africa's freest and most open Constitutions.
In a declaration published in all main Sunday newspapers, the South African National Editors' Forum said media restrictions proposed by the African National Congress threatened free expression that was the "lifeblood" of the country's democracy since the end of apartheid-era rule in 1994. Those proposals include a new media law and a special tribunal for journalists.
One major newspaper even began running small notices alongside important stories that tell readers, "you would not be reading this story" if new media laws are passed. Mail & Guardian.
http://www.sanef.org.za/
