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FXI, MISA PROTEST DRAFT BILL

The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) and the South African chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) have expressed alarm at a proposed bill they say could impose direct censorship on news media.

The government has introduced a bill to amend the Film and Publications Act, under which print and broadcast media would be regulated by the Film and Publications Board for the first time. The Board determines how films in South Africa are classified and can ban publications deemed indecent or offensive.

FXI and MISA say that under the proposed Film and Publication Amendment Bill 2006, news media would be subject to pre-publication censorship. [The bill] "is tantamount to obliging the media to seek a licence to publish", the groups argue. For decades, the Film and Publications Act has exempted news media from its provisions, enabling print and broadcast media to operate freely and without prior censorship.

The Film and Publications Board says critics of the bill are misinformed: "When people say we will censor the media it is not what we have in mind," chief executive Shokie Bopape-Dlomo told IRIN News. "It is not at all practical for us to read entire newspapers before they are published. The idea behind the proposed changes is to protect children, and not to interfere with the work of the media," she said. "Adults have the right to access information, and we are not going to change that."

FXI and MISA note that existing public bodies, including the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the Press Ombudsman and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission, already regulate the media industry. They argue that the proposed amendment violates the Constitution's guarantee on freedom of expression.

FXI and MISA have joined forces with the South Africa National Editors' Forum (SANEF) to oppose the bill. They plan to make a formal protest before a parliamentary committee that is reviewing the proposed legislation.

Visit these links:

- Joint Statement: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/76242/
- FXI: http://www.fxi.org.za/
- MISA South Africa: http://www.za.misa.org/
- SANEF: http://www.sanef.org.za/
- IRIN News: http://tinyurl.com/r2yx5