Date: 30-10-01

The Freedom of Expression Institute, would like to express its discomfort over the call by National Assembly’s Communications Committee, to bring the public broadcaster in line with the government’s foreign policy and the implied censorship of the coverage of “blood and violence” on television”, as reported by Sapa.

The FXI supports stimulation of debates on media ethics, and other debates that relate to media freedom and access to information. However, we do no believe that the public broadcaster should be an uncritical vehicle of SA’s foreign policy. Neither should the parliament be the judge, on how much blood and violence should be seen on televisions news.

While national debates around these issues and concerns should be given priority news editors should remain the ultimate judges on editorial content.

The committee is definitely right to question the coverage which American networks gave to the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and that of the Tanzanian embassy. The coverage of September 11 attack, was highly censored that despite the fact that more than 6000 people died, one neither blood nor dead bodies. Where is in the case of Tanzania and Kenya, American broadcasters such the CNN showed almost all the details of people trapped in the rubble. The committee is correct to imply double standard.

What we need to interrogate though is whether broadcasters are acting in the public interest when they play the kind of double standards that CNN, Sky News or BBC have shown in the Tanzanian and the September 11 attacks. Also to interrogate whether censorship of violent and blood footage is in the public interest.

For further Information Contact: Freedom of Expression Institute, Information and Communications Officer:

Scotch Tagwireyi: Phone 27 11 4038403, Cell 27 723572699, Fax 27 11 403839