The FXI supports the idea of establishing a statutory Media Development and Diversity Agency to foster media diversity. The establishment of the MDDA (which was previously called the Media Development Agency) was mooted by a Communications Task Group called COMTASK, set up by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki's office to investigate the state of government communications. COMTASK found that the lack of media diversity represented a significant access to information bottleneck, and proposed the MDA as one corrective measure. The FXI then embarked on a campaign with the National Community Media Forum (NCMF) for the establishment of the MDA. For more information on this campaign, click here. In July 1999, the FXI and NCMF held a national seminar on the need for, and role of, a Media Development Agency. The following papers were delivered at the seminar:

• Joel Netshitenzhe, CEO, Government Communication and Information System - The Need for and Role of a Media Development Agency
• Paul Murschetz, Public Voice Lab - Press Subsidy Schemes in Europe: Theory and Practice.
• Mark Weinberg, Print Media Diversity Fund - the Fund and the MDA.
• Clive Emdon - Independent Media Diversity Trust - sustainability of community media and the MDA.
• Ferial Haffajee - presentation of research on the South Africa press and the MDA.
• Tracey Naughton - presentation of research on South African broadcasting and the MDA.
  

The seminar broke into three groups. for transcriptions of the group reports, click here:

• Funding for the MDA, supportive media policy and international contacts.
• Structure and function of MDA: print.
• Structure and function of MDA: broadcasting and new media.
  

For a report on the seminar, from the FXI quarterly publication Update, click here.

Since then, the MDDA Act has been passed into law, following public hearings held by the Portfolio Committee on Communications. Click here for relevant documents:

• MDDA Act (http://www.gcis.gov.za/docs/act_bill/a14-02.pdf)
• Position Paper on MDDA, produced by the Government Communication and Information System (http://www.gcis.gov.za/docs/act_bill/mddapos.htm)
• Other documents of interest on the MDDA (http://www.gcis.gov.za/docs/act_bill/index.html)
  

The Community Media Policy Research Unit participated in the Portfolio Committee hearings on the MDDA Bill. For more information, click here.

The FXI aims to ensure that the MDDA is established free of vested interests, that funders make an on-going financial commitment to the MDDA and that all processes around the establishment of the MDDA are transparent and open to participation.