Paper Summary:

This paper explains that one of the main roles of the press in any democracy is that of a public watchdog that is vigilant over government activities on behalf of the people that government serves. The paper focuses on South Africa as a point of reference and refers to the history of South African policy as well as certain European media policy counterparts, in order to gauge standards of media performance.

Outline:
Introduction
Media and Democracy
Media Policy in South Africa
External Media Policy
Policy Formulation Aspects
Internal Media Policy
Policy Formulation Aspects
The Gate keeping Function
European Media Policy
United Kingdom Media Policy
Italian Media Policy
German Media Policy
South African Media Policy History
Apartheid Era
After Apartheid
Comparison
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"One of the main roles that the press plays in any democracy is that of a public watchdog that is vigilant over government activities on behalf of the people that government serves (Krimsky, 2000). The media is a fundamental tool in the decision-making of the democratic government in any country. A democracy requires the people of the state to make choices and decisions on a daily basis. This therefore needs to be aided by a media and media environment that allows for objectivity through its content and the journalists and staff of the forms of media themselves. The media needs to inform, without judging (Krimsky, 2000)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Du Plooy, GM. 2001. Communication research: techniques, methods and applications. Lansdowne: Juta
• Fourie, PJ. 2001a. Media Studies. Volume 1: institutions, theories and issues. Cape Town: Juta.
• Fourie, PJ. 2001b. Media Studies. Volume 2: content, audiences and production. Cape Town: Juta.
• Hyden, G, Leslie, M, Ogundimu, F. 2002. Media and Democracy in Africa. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.
• Krimsky, GA. 2000. The role of the media in a democracy. USIA: Freepress.

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