One thing I dislike and like at the same time about the web is being anonymous. While I am always honest about my identity when I make comments or write on the web, I can understand why some people choose to be anonymous. My profile is open and I am ...
Newspapers, at present much derided and bleeding red ink, have at least one useful social function. They confine the nutters, rumour mongerers, conspiracy theorists, and bigots to their dank little holes by largely starving them of publicity.
Thos...
By Janice Winter
Last week saw one of Britain's biggest media controversies with BNP leader Nick Griffin's appearance on the BBC's Question Time. Public debate pivoted on the media's role in guarding democratic space, with interpretations of this ...
After being criticised for the title of my previous blog I thought it necessary to write a response. Perhaps some of the readers of Thought Leader are so very worried about race that they carry around a little race injection to squeeze into unsuspect...
On Freedom Day, to celebrate fifteen years of democracy, I launched The Soapbox -- a nonpartisan online platform where young South Africans can speak out about things they feel strongly about.
Why? Because South Africa is at a crossroads. Now more...
South Africa lost one of its greatest investigative journalists and a fine thinker when Deon Basson died this week.
What endeared him to me, aside from my admiration of his understanding of insurance companies and the determination that made him o...
Submitted by Troy Thiel
The recent homophobic writings of Jon Qwelane and the subsequent LGBT community reaction have highlighted many questions about where the borders of free speech lie and journalists' responsibility regarding the effect of the...
In his address to students at the University of the Witwatersrand, the South African Human Rights Commission's Jody Kollapen said that South Africans must prepare themselves for speech that will shock, disturb and offend them.
"We're going to find...
On July 8, Britain finally abolished its archaic blasphemy laws. It is no longer a criminal offence for we Brits to speak or publish any contemptuous, reviling, scurrilous or ludicrous words relating to God, Jesus Christ or the Bible. Yet already a n...
A lot of people -- the decadent amoral bourgeoisie, mostly -- have got awfully upset over Jon Qwelane’s latest tirade. Why the fuss? The Sunday Sun is gutter press and Qwelane’s equally contemptible opinions are part and parcel of a paper that be...
