programmes which the broadcaster should be offering to fulfil its public mandate are no longer being produced and the quality of journalism at the corporation has deteriorated. This applies in particular to television, where cheap entertainment dominates schedules. While the TV news department does have a number of capable reporters, there is less and less hard news and an apparent ever-increasing emphasis on “developmental news” that celebrates achievements in the fight against poverty. Stories on government corruption are rare and “bad news” is the exception rather than the rule. Community broadcasting is another important source of information and 96 community radio and three community television stations have been licensed. However, because of perpetual and severe shortage of funds many of these stations survive and operate solely on “sheer willpower” of their management and through volunteerism. Volunteers are often exploited and their turnover is high. The broadcasting sector is regulated by ICASA, whose council is selected by an open and transparent parliamentary process. During the last round of nominations in 2010 civil society groups were able to play a meaningful role when vacant seats had to be filled. The authority seems to be dangerously underfunded and therefore cannot fulfill its oversight responsibilities, for example regarding the enforcement of licence conditions. The communications minister constantly tries to interfere in the independence of ICASA. A bill published by the minister in 2010 – the draft is still under discussion - would increase government’s control over the authority. In the past, the media fraternity seldom really linked up with broader civil society over media issues, but there has been increasing cooperation between the two sectors, particularly with trade unions, in recent months. Many civil society groups, however, still perceive freedom of expression and the media as a kind of “elite bourgeois luxury”. Many are dissatisfied with the performance of the media because they do not see themselves properly reflected in them and so they are reluctant to engage in media freedom issues. Media freedom in the ‘new’ South Africa has largely been taken for granted, both by the media fraternity itself and by society as a whole. Now, with more and more threatening noises made and action taken by the authorities, media lobby groups are finding that the hearts and minds of the people are not really on their side. Many still fail to understand that freedom of expression is something worth fighting for because it concerns each and every citizen and allows people to access their other rights including socio-economic rights like those to housing and education. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2010 7