The present is another country: A comment on the 2010 media freedom debate

The spectre of apartheid censorship haunted the 2010 debates about media freedom. While acknowledging the force of the historical parallel, this article takes issue with the polemical use of the past in this context, arguing that the more pressing issues raised by the Protection of Information Bill and proposed Media Appeals Tribunal need to be seen against the background of the post-apartheid legislative framework and the African National Congress's own changing attitudes to the print media since 1994. The article concludes with some reflections on the relationship between the rights to freedom of expression and human dignity.