Perils of Powerpoint

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Internal policy case study of SABC J3,PGdip
2004
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Coming up

1. Review
2. Background, Bill, Policy consultation process.
3. Process and place of exercise
4. Implementation
5. Key issues
6. Conclusion

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1. REVIEW OF ISSUES

• Who, what, where, when, etc.?
• What paradigm specs do you use?
• Functionalist?
• Liberal pluralist?
• Power?
• Participatory?
• Chaos?
• Steyns issues liberalistn, pbs, etc.

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Review cntd.

• Policy ethos content structure
• Interventionist vs liberal.
• Systems Authoritarian, Libertarian, Regulatory,
  Free MarketState.
• Singling out broadcasting
• Convergence does internal policy need platform
  nuances?.

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2. BACKGROUND

• 2002 Broadcast Amendment Bill
• Board ensure reporting which advances the
  national public interest of the Republic
• Board should prepare policies and submit for
  Ministerial approval.

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Bdcst Amend Bill cntd

• SABC needs jist code of conduct
• Bill dropped clause in old Act which had
  guaranteed SABC free expression, and
  journalistic, creative and programming
  independence.

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Bdcst Amend Bill cntd

• Minister should split Board and prescribe
  functions through Articles of Assoc of the new
  corporatised body.
• There should be 2 state TV channels in African
  languages.

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Govt comments

• Journos need to account.
• Cannot be allowed to report in a manner that can
  damage economy or trigger rand collapse.
• Content should be more local
• Our leaders, not foreign rulers, should be
  shown. (Ivy)

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Assessment

• Govt control agenda.
• Govt vote of no-confidence in SABC language
  delivery.
• Undermines public broadcasting, accountable to
  public, not the govt.

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Outcry

• Opposition, Civil Society
• Media (Sanef, Misa), SABC,
• Icasa only needs to consider Ministers policy,
  not accept.
• No directive from govt that may interfere with
  independence, power, function, and licensing
  autonomy.
• Therefore unconstitutionality on Minister
  approval of SABC policy and new TV stations.

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Changes made

• Broadcast to serve both national and public
  interest.
• New TV stations to be based at SABC and be
  public-funded.
• Icasa to be asked to licence.
• One SABC board, tho PBS and PCBS division in
  corporation.

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Govt comments

• We tried for 2 years to engage SABC on role and
  obligs (Ivy)
• What seemed extreme was intended to focus
  attention on accountability.
• No regulator can operate without direction

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Changes made to Bill

• SABC fxi independence clause reinstated - but
  this right is correctly placed in the context of,
  and is to be balanced with, other rights of all
  citizens (Ivy)

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Changes cntd

• Board must prepare policies,
• Should accord with Icasas code of conduct,
  licence conditions, Broadcasting Act objectives.
• Icasa must approve,
• Public participation must be enabled.
• Also Board must institute regular
  effective means to solicit public opinion and
  give due consideration to it (Ivy)

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ANC policy change

• 51st congress - Dec 02.
• Pro state funds for public community
  broadcasting.
• Also pro cross-subsidy
• Parliament TV, Africa link-ups
• Gender, culture, kids progrs.
• Captions for deaf.

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3. SABC PROCESS

• Draft done, consultation commences.
• Unfortunate no indication given to public that
  consultation was not a foregone matter.
• Question Trust that SABC consulting because it
  truly believes the people have an NB role to
  play, and not merely to comply with the law
  Ngoako Ramatlhodi

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Place of exercise

• Draft correctly lays out parameters (Icasa,
  Legislation, BCCSA, etc.).
• But within these limits, there is enormous scope
  for interpret-ation and elaboration
• Public input can make a meaningful impact.

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Consultation principle

• South Africans co-authors of history in the
  making
• Legacy of struggle in SA
• Commendable for publishing the Draft in main SA
  languages.

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Purpose of policies

• To give guidance to SABC employees.
• To clarify what the public is entitled to expect
  from the broadcaster.
• Be communicative transparent.
• Responsive and adaptive.
• Clarify accountability.

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Basic Assumptions

• Draft links SABC to Constitution
• But omits reference to right to FXI
• Thus misses that right to send and receive info
  is fundamental to citizenship.
• Ignores inequalities of expression in language,
  and access.

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Basic Assumptions

• Genesis of initiative assists in analysing why
  policies are shaped as they are, what might be
  informing them, and what their impact might be.
  (FXI) namely
• SABC Commercial broadcaster.
• Macro economic climate.
• PBS starved like other delivery areas.

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4. IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES?

• Appropriate training strategies
• Staff knowledge and understanding
• Skills to implement the guidelines.
• Monitoring mechanism
• How know if actioned?
• How know degree of excess?
• Who will do it, when?

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Indicators

• Indicators needed to audit whether all of the
  proposed policies are having effects.
• Language policy lacks detail (ANC)
• Needs targets
• Three year operational plan
• Detail on practical measures to meet needs of
  deaf blind (ANC)

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Economics

• Cost of policy on language programming and local
  content.
• Danger of noble policy goals, undermined by
  economic model
• Shortfall can undermine credibility
• Editorial policies should not be pure wish-list
  or unachievable goal.

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Alternative economics

• Imperative of redress should inform resource
  allocation, not vice versa.
• Eg. SABC should ID a need, eg. Tsonga language,
  and seek funds for it.
• Without plans, hard to convince govt to invest.
• (Policy stretch view)

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Power Who?

• Draft Policies suggest CEO should be Editor in
  Chief, and new MD of News be part of the line of
  accountability.
• Upward referral for extraordinary events
• Mechanism for consultation
• ALSO notify top managers of controversy or
  impact on SABC

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5. KEY ISSUES

• PBS and CPBS
• Advertising
• Platforms
• News
• Programming
• Holism

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6. CONCLUSION

• Reviewed policy theory
• Background to process
• Process
• Implementation
• Key issues
• Fakir Hassen (Tues)
• READ SABC policy booklet draft,
  Submission, Berger (MG), and final.