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Reconciling editorial independence and public accountability issues in Public Broadcasting Service: : editorial policies at the South African Broadcasting Corporation1

: editorial policies at the South African Broadcasting Corporation1

Guy Berger
Rhodes University
Denis Jjuuko
Rhodes University
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Reconciling editorial independence and public accountability issues in Public Broadcasting Service: : editorial policies at the South African Broadcasting Corporation1. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 26(1), 92-113. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v26i1.1716
  • Articles
  • Submited: October 17, 2022
  • Published: October 20, 2022

Abstract

A public broadcaster is pulled in two directions: There is the need to be accountable to the public,
and the imperative to be editorially independent at the same time. The first implies parameters
and control systems; the second points to the need for autonomy. This distinctive tension marks
out a key difference between public and private broadcasting (through the public accountability
component), and between public and government-controlled broadcasting (through the editorial
independence proviso). Several dimensions can be identified in regard to assessing accountability
and editorial independence, and also to the way that policy can work to integrate these two
apparently contradictory imperatives. In 2004, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
was required in effect to mediate the complex challenges in this tension by formulating detailed
editorial policies and systems. The significance of the SABC experience also extends to understanding
the nature of policy more broadly

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How to Cite
Reconciling editorial independence and public accountability issues in Public Broadcasting Service: : editorial policies at the South African Broadcasting Corporation1. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 26(1), 92-113. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v26i1.1716

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