The right to broadcast: towards a broadcasting charter for South Africa

SUMMARY In this article Michael Markovitz, chairman of the Broadcasting Commission of the Film and Allied Workers Organisation (FAWO) argues: that present broadcasting statutes restrict access to the technological means of communication in South African society which prevails now; that broadcasting is an issue of national and constitutional importance; that the deregulation of broadcasting, with protection or non-profit broadcast services, could benefit the negotiation process; that private sector domination of both the broadcasting and print media sectors would be incompatible with the extension of freedom of expression in South Africa; that prevailing broadcasting legislation effectively prohibits community broadcasting; and that the right to broadcast and broadcast freedom should be entrenched in a Bill of Rights.