We must emphasise that the public broadcaster is not, and should not be, the mouthpiece of government.

The headline of this blog is a direct quote by President Jacob Zuma taken from his address at the SANEF NAT NAKASA Awards Dinner.

It is a bold statement for some, tantamount to treason for others and a simple statement of the obvious to most. Under the old National Party government in a bid to hold on to apartheid the public broadcaster (SABC) was used unashamedly to publicise government propaganda.

After independence the ANC government was content to continue this policy especially under Thabo Mbeki with the public broadcaster effectively run by Snuki and his media dictatorship.

Both the ANC and old National Party simply tinkered with the illusion that the public broadcaster actually had editorial freedom. In fact, for both the public broadcaster has been a comfort zone playground just waiting for government bits and pieces of media spin.

The public broadcaster is currently in tatters with allegations of impropriety, mismanagement, nepotism and cronyism emerging from the ashes and it stands in desperate need of a government bailout.

However, there are sane minds in parliament that want the SABC board and others responsible for the disaster to be removed before recovery can start.

The statement by President Zuma, ” We must emphasise that the public broadcaster is not, and should not be, the mouthpiece of government” comes at a time when not just the existence of the public broadcaster but its entire direction and policy need to be debated.

It is a simple statement but one with severe repercussions throughout government and ANC circles. There has long been dispute about the ANC relationship with the media and whether the organisation needs a media outlet of its own.

Since independence it has had carte blanche with the public broadcaster simply waiting for instructions from ANC cadres and things might now change for media people in government and ANC.

Could this be a turning point in the government and ANC approach to the media where they both accept criticism where criticism is due or will there be extended debate with white papers and qualifications on the actual parameters of media freedom that the SABC will enjoy. Watch this space.

See article here.