THE WAY FORWARD 1. What were the developments in the media environment in the last three to four years? Positive Developments • The statutory Media Appeals Tribunal, proposed by the ANC in 2010 and still being considered, is now deemed unnecessary after the Press Council system with its Press Ombudsman proved that self-regulation of the media can work. • The existence of media freedom in South Africa led to the exposure of the “#GuptaLeaks” and its pervasive nature within the nation’s political and business elite, which led to the formation of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, ‘changing and potentially improving society’. • The excellent work of investigative journalists also saw the nation’s former President, Jacob Zuma, step down. • The proliferation of social media and internet TV, which is expected to take over broadcast TV in the future. • The independence of the SABC board as a result of the court ruling on the amendment to the memorandum to the Broadcasting Act, which cut the Communication Minister’s power in terms of executive board appointments. • The important role played by the SOS/Right2Know campaign with regard to freedom of the media, which is otherwise in a ‘very fragile and vulnerable position’. Negative Developments 63 • The financial shrinking of the media, which has resulted in many journalists being laid off. This includes the closure, after just 18 months, of the online newspaper, Huffington Post South Africa, which, ‘despite having 1.9 million discrete viewers, could not translate this very good readership into sustainable advertising support’, as well as the closure of The New Age after it was unsuccessfully rebranded as Afro Voice. • The closure of ANN7, which due to its ownership by the Guptas and their ‘state-capture’ related links to senior figures in government, was seen as suppressing diversity. • The fact that the contentious Media Appeals Tribunal, proposed by the ANC in 2010, hangs over the media as a statutory regulator and continues to threaten media freedom. • The instability of the policy environment, with regards to the Department of Communication and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, which were split into separate entities in 2014 under former President Jacob Zuma’s regime. This resulted in each department developing its own policies, while instead they should be re-united due to the nature of digital convergence. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2018