South Africa Media Sustainability Index (MSI)
April 24, 2013
About the MSI
IREX designed the MSI to measure the strength and viability of any country's media sector. The MSI considers all the factors that contribute to a media system—the quality of journalism, effectiveness of management, the legal environment supporting freedom of the press, and more—to arrive at scores on a scale ranging between 0 and 4. These scores represent the strength of the media sector components and can be analyzed over time to chart progress (or regression) within a country. Additionally, countries or regions may be compared to one another. IREX currently conducts the MSI in 80 countries, and began studying Africa in 2006.
MSI Overview | Africa | Asia | Europe & Eurasia | Middle East & North Africa
Download Complete South Africa Chapter (PDF): 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2006/7
MSI South Africa - 2012 Introduction
Overall Country Score: 2.81
South Africa’s overall country score dropped somewhat from 3.01 in 2010 to 2.81 in 2012—mostly due to battles over freedom of speech and the proposed Protection of State Information Bill, dubbed the “Secrecy Bill.”
A painting titled “The Spear,” by artist Brett Murray, was published in the weekend newspaper City Press on May 12, 2012. The artwork depicts President Jacob Zuma, in Leninesque pose, exposing his genitals. Some South Africans were ready to march and torch the newspaper for its temerity, while others argued steadfastly in support for freedom of expression and media freedom. City Press initially refused to remove the image from its website, and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party responded by calling upon its members and sympathizers to boycott the newspaper by withholding advertising. After about two weeks, the newspaper removed the painting, but the episode fired up debate about free speech in South Africa’s media world.
The proposed “Secrecy Bill” would replace an outdated 1982 law and aims to regulate the classification, protection, and dissemination of state information, weighing state interests against transparency and freedom of expression. As it stands, it gives ministers the power to classify documents as state secrets. Media practitioners and civil-society bodies criticized the bill heavily, with the Right2Know campaign its most avid critic. Right2Know claims the bill undermines the rights of journalists, whistleblowers, and activists, stressing the maximum penalty of a 25-year prison sentence when one is prosecuted for espionage, receiving state information unlawfully, hostile activity, or sharing information classified by the State Security Agency.
The National Assembly passed the bill on November 22, 2011. At the time the MSI convened, the National Council of Provinces was debating the bill, and it conceded to hold public hearings across the country. The ANC proposed a number of amendments, but in September 2012 it withdrew some of its key concessions regarding whistleblower protection.
All five objectives scored below 3.0—the threshold for sustainability. Objective 5, Supporting Institutions, scored the highest (2.89), but still a good deal lower than the 3.26 it received in the initial South Africa study in 2006/2007. Objective 2, Professional Journalism, scored the lowest (2.75), but not much lower than the 2.89 it achieved in 2006/2007.
