I don’t recall what I was doing on 12th February 1989. It was a Sunday, though, and we were living in Johannesburg so it was likely spent over a monster roast lunch or a braai. In the febrile climate of rising crime, violence, security and national angst, we had decided we were going to leave…
Tag: press regulation
Political
Tax Evasion and Shooting the Messenger
by Dominic O'Byrne •
So, Greek investigative journalist Kostas Vaxevanis has been arrested under a ‘Violation of privacy’ law. The specifics of the crime with which he is charged are that he published in Hot Doc magazine a list of over 2000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts, with words like corruption and tax evasion being used a lot. According…
Political
Be Careful What You Wish For
by Dominic O'Byrne •
The latest episode in the Murdoch Crucifixion saga leaves one with an unpleasant aftertaste. Oddly, der Knecht Ruprecht emerges with his dignity and composure intact. I don’t think the same can’t be said of Tom Watson – referred to in today’s Times as ‘accuser-in-chief’. According to the official transcript Watson asked Rupert Murdoch “…Mr Murdoch, at what…
Political
Politicians get the media they deserve. So do we.
by Dominic O'Byrne •
Does my memory serve me right? Does anybody else recall the last 24 months or so of John Major’s administration and the role it played in enhancing the power of the press? If not, let me remind some of us… I’ll hold my hand up and admit to being one of Margaret Thatcher’s biggest fans;…