Since July 2002, the Anti-Censorship Programme has been monitoring the South African environment for freedom of expression violations and lobby against censorship and its causes. That it does by responding to instances of censorship, producing longer-term analysis of censorship trends in the country and initiating projects to identify and redress censorious legislation still obtaining or being introduced into the statute books.

Public education around the dangers of censorship has been a vital component of articulating freedom of expression and the programme has set up campaigns with a view to increasing levels of awareness about the protection of free speech. The programme has also sought to increase co-operation between the FXI and journalist unions, media associations, community media and international freedom of expression organisations.

At regional level, the programme has embarked on a lobbying process around the Southern African Development Communities (SADC) Protocol on Culture, Information and Sport, which among other things, requires member states to accredit media practitioners and also establish guidelines regulating the media profession.

POLICY INTERVENTIONS & SUBMISSIONS 

In order to defend freedom of expression from legislative and regulatory limitations, the Anti-Censorship Programme makes submissions on policies and laws that endanger media freedom. Click here to have a look at the submissions made by the Programme or to read an FXI opinion paper on legislation offending freedom of expression in South Africa.

PROJECTS & CAMPAIGNS

The Anti-Censorship Legislation Project and the Campaign against the Anti-Terrorism Bill are part of the Anti-censorship Programme (ACP). Click here to read more about the ACP's campaigns.

PRESS & PUBLICATIONS

The press releases of the Anti-Censorship Programme are being published as Action Alerts. For articles on censorship and the Anti-Terrorism Bill, click here.

CONFERENCE & SEMINAR PAPERS

From privacy and media diversity to confidential sources and government control:  in the last years the Anti-Censorship Programme produced a variety of papers on many interesting issues. Click here to read them.

PROGRESS REPORTS

FXI keeps a close eye on the state of media freedom in our country. On a regular basis the Anti-Censorship Programme monitors and evaluates the media climate and reports the (ongoing) censorship cases in its' progress reports. Click here to find the latest ones.

ACTION ALERTS

Through the IFEX Action Alert system, FXI publicises freedom of expression violations in South Africa. To read the Action Alerts of 2003, 2004 & 2005, click here.

CONTACT

For more information on the Anti-Censorship Programme, please consult the FXI Staff Page for the contact details of our Head of Programme.