Press Freedom in Africa: Comparative perspectives [Hardcover]

Foreword: Press Freedom in a Game of Interests Francis B. Nyamnjoh  1. Press Freedom in Africa: Discourses, debates, controversies Herman Wasserman  2. South African media in comparative perspective Colin Sparks  3. Growing pains in the development of a free press in Africa and Asia: A comparative analysis  South Africa and India Jiafei Yin  4. Best practice in media self-regulation: A three-way test to avoid selective borrowing and ad hoc transplants Guy Berger  5. Development journalism revived: The case of Ethiopia Terje S. Skjerdal  6. Going back to the crossroads: Visions of a democratic media future at the dawn of the new South Africa Gabri?l J. Botma  7. The ANCs poverty of strategy on media accountability Jane Duncan  8. Whose freedom? South Africas press, middle-class bias and the threat of control Steven Friedman  9. The present is another country: A comment on the 2010 media freedom debate Peter D. McDonald

This book gives an overview of current debates surrounding press freedom in Africa in response to ongoing contestations between media and governments on the continent. Through case studies of individual African countries as well as international comparisons, a wide range of global contributors provide critical assessments of the state of press freedom on the continent and critical perspectives on the dominant discourses around freedom and democracy.

Some fear an alarming slide towards a media-intolerant environment in South Africa, and the proposed Media Appeals Tribunal and the Protection of State Information Bill (POSIB) have met with strong criticism from journalism practitioners and educators. This book examines tl#o