MEDIA FREEDOM NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY

IN South Africa it is possible to read, in print or online, or watch or listen to commentary that is fiercely critical of the government.

But it was not always so. The events of October 19, 1977, known as Black Wednesday, should remind us not to take media freedom for granted.

Now celebrated as Media Freedom Day, it commemorates the day when the apartheid government banned three newspapers in a wide clampdown on organisations and media sympathetic to the Black Consciousness ( BC) philosophy, and jailed journalists in an attempt aimed at silencing those who spoke out against apartheid.

As a pillar of democracy, the media exists to ensure that those in power are held to account, that their misdeeds are exposed, and that people can express themselves without fear of persecution. Curbs placed on the media in other countries show us that this is a freedom which should be cherished and protected.

A stifled or non- existent media means there are no checks and balances on public or private action, while an unfettered media ensures the protection of other rights and freedoms by exposing where these are abused or curtailed. A free press also ensures that the voices of the marginalised and the minority are not just heard, but amplified where they may have been silenced.

The Covid- 19 pandemic has dealt the media industry a body blow over the past few months, with revenue falling sharply. However, the industry has persisted, not only helping to fight the virus through the dissemination of relevant information, but also by exposing fraud and corruption in the spending of emergency funds.

While the guilty are scurrying to hide their malfeasance, it is critical that the media remain free to ensure there is no place to hide.

• Ayoob has been appointed editor of the Independent on Saturday, effective from November, and will be replaced by Ayanda Mdluli.