matter. Despite this, the Bill is still problematic and if signed into law, it will have a chilling effect on the operations of the media, as it does not provide a ‘public interest defence’ for journalists in possession of classified documents. Journalists in possession of such documents could be heavily fined or face imprisonment. In addition, there is uncertainty on how the Bill will impact or restrict the existing Promotion of Access to Information Act.5 Despite the above negative developments impacting on freedom of expression, South Africa enjoys a diverse media and information environment with the existence of numerous newspapers, over a hundred radio stations, a growing number of community television stations, an almost 100% mobile phone penetration and an increase in Internet access. Talk-radio in particular remains a space for rich debates and discussions. However, these information outlets still remain an urban phenomenon. Most of the country’s rural and peri-urban areas are deprived of media and information due to a mixture of the apartheid legacy of exclusion and the nature of the media in South Africa, which is highly commercialised and tends to serve narrow and elite interests. The majority of local languages are also not reflected in the newspapers, with the majority being published in English, Afrikaans and Zulu. Access to computers and Internet remains limited in most marginalised communities, and effective use of mobile phones is impeded by high tariff costs. Broadband, though getting cheaper due to the landing in May 2012 of the West African Cable System (WACS), the fifth undersea cable connecting South Africa to the rest of the world, is still reaching very few people. Government’s lack of a clear and coherent ICT policy has been one of the reasons for slow growth of Internet uptake. Television broadcast media, though diverse in terms of providing public, commercial and community-broadcasting services, is poorly regulated by the country’s regulatory board, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). The regulator has failed to ensure diversity in the sector. For instance, eTV remains the only commercial free-to-air television station and satellite subscription services are dominated by DStv. In terms of fulfilling its role as a monitor of local content on public, commercial or community broadcast stations to assess whether the stations are adhering to their licence conditions, ICASA has mainly failed. The regulator is underfunded and generally lacks capacity and, as a result, is not in a position to ensure that broadcasters disseminate a diversity of views that broadly represent the public at large. Regulatory oversight over the public broadcaster, the SABC, has also been very weak. As a result, political interference at the national broadcaster has continued. In March 2013, yet another board resigned en masse, the second board to have collapsed within five years. South Africa continues to adhere to high journalistic professionalism, with very few cases of unethical or shoddy journalism. Self-censorship and cases of corruption are also very rare. The recent threat by the ANC to introduce a statutory 5 10 South Africa. Promotion of Access to Information, Act 2 of 2000. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2013