WAY FORWARD The way forward 1. What were the developments in the media environment in the last three years? Positive developments - The revision of the Press Council and the Press Code after an extensive process of consultation. - The launch of the donor-funded non-profit organisation Africa Check, which was devised by the AFP Foundation and run in partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand’s Journalism Department. It aims to promote accuracy in public debate by sorting published fact from fiction, and encourage accuracy among journalists and journalism students. - The appointment of Phylicia Oppelt in March 2013 as editor of the Sunday Times. This follows Ferial Haffajee’s appointment as editor of City Press in 2009, putting the two biggest publications in South Africa in the hands of women. Angela Quintal was appointed print editor at the Mail & Guardian. - The entrance of the Daily Maverick into the media sphere and the growth of online journalism in general. - The launch of new Gauteng-based commercial talk radio station, Power FM. - The approval of a new broadcasting licences for community television stations and commercial radio stations. - The increase in community radio stations. - The advent of social media and the increased participation of citizens in the public discourse. Readers are now publishers! - The trend of weekly newspapers now having a daily online presence, notably the Mail and Guardian and City Press. - Although data costs remain relatively high compared to many countries, the general drop in the price of data and the doubling of Internet use in the last four years, according to the New Wave report,38 which notes that one in three South Africans now use the Internet and that three-quarters of Internet users in South Africa use their mobile phone to go online. Negative developments - The ‘bloodbath’ in the magazine industry with widespread title closures. - The passing by Parliament of the Protection of State Information Bill in April 2013. - The growing and increasingly permanent crisis and problems at the SABC. - The climate is turning hostile towards media freedom in South Africa, spurred on by ruling party politicians. - Widespread job losses, especially in the print media. 38 Available at: http://www.networksociety.co.za/report+highlights . 72 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2013