The Broadcasting Independence Handbook: Lessons from the South African Experience

This 47-page handbook, published by the Freedom of Expression Institute, focuses on the transformation from state to independent broadcasting in South Africa, and the lessons that can be drawn from this transformation for the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The handbook is designed for SADC-wide civil society organisations, as well as independent and community media.

The handbook is designed to provide resources to civil society organisations seeking to: achieve independent broadcasting; share South Africa's experiences; provide analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the South African "model"; explore the role of civil society activism; examine whether the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), has struck a balance between independence and accountability; and develop recommendations on how to strengthen the South African "model" of public broadcasting.

The guide is divided into 3 sections that end with a series of discussion points. Part 1 looks at the history of the transformation from state to independent broadcasting, particularly at the role of civil society. Part 2 looks at the constitutional definition of independent broadcasting, and how the independence of the regulator has been gradually eroded since the late 1990s. Part 3 focuses on the extent to which the Campaign for Independent Broadcasting (CIB)'s objective to establish an independent public broadcaster was achieved in post-apartheid South Africa.