The recent decision issued by the Press Appeal Panel in a complaint lodged by the South African Hindu Dharma Sabha against the Sunday Times raises important questions regarding the intersection between freedom of expression and religion. The complaint concerned a Zapiro cartoon depicting officials of Cricket South Africa (CSA) sacrificing their chief executive officer Haroon […] Read more
A recent judgment handed down by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) against Talk Radio 702 could seriously impair the ability of broadcasters to report on court proceedings. In August 2012, 702 covered the trial of ‘Sunday rapist’ Johannes Steyn. Steyn was accused of abducting, raping and murdering several young women and was […] Read more
Okyerebea Ampofo-Anti explains why those complaining about the press must choose between going to the Press Ombudsman or court. The Press Freedom Commission (PFC) was given a mandate to devise the most suitable press regulatory mechanism for South Africa. The creation of the PFC was an attempt to address some of the concerns about the […] Read more
Okyerebea Ampofo-Anti takes a legal look at the News of the World scandal to see what the South African press can take home, in a story first published in The Media magazine. The press landscape in the United Kingdom underwent a radical change with the sudden closure of News of the World in July, due […] Read more
Crossing the law online
The conviction of two men in the United Kingdom for contempt of court based on material they published on social media sites highlights the need for greater care to be exercised when publishing material online. In 1993, James Bulger, aged two, was abducted from a shopping centre in Liverpool and murdered by two 10-year-old boys, […] Read more