The Erasmus judgement on Makhaza
The facts of this case appear to be that the DA attempted to provide for all, albeit perhaps in a way that was suboptimal and/or naive. While the ANC’s spin related to this case may or may not prove effective, it’s not evidence-based (or consistent, given the unenclosed toilets in ANC municipal areas), and it seems false to claim that the DA’s motives include a lack of concern for the poor.
The ANC’s election strategy: Blackmail
Instead of presenting a case for why one should vote for the ANC in the upcoming local government elections, some spokespersons for the ANC seem more intent on using emotional blackmail to make voters think that they have no options other than voting for the ruling party. After all, who wants to risk killing Mandela or going to hell?
Media freedom is not a black-and-white issue
Two separate issues are relevant to the MAT debate: the first is the possibility political bias, and the second is an issue of competence, where increasingly junior (and temporary) staff in newsrooms may lack the experience and wisdom to understand the long-range implications of what they report.
Responsible reporting: At what cost?
A democratic society’s commitment to free speech does not have to trump any other considerations, but a press that is anything other than free is always, and everywhere, a very bad thing.
Mandela’s autopsy
Freedom of expression has clear bounds, and they are bounds that the ANC agreed to when accepting the Constitution. You can call Damaso insensitive and rude for portraying a dead Mandela if you like, but he is as entitled to exercise his version of culture as you are yours.
Recent comments