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

This study is a qualitative analysis of citizen journalists’ blog posts relating to the Gautrain Project
in South Africa, with a main focus on the Gautrain’s readiness to commence operations on 8 June
2010 for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. This article is based on sections of a current MTech
study on citizen journalism. Citizen journalism as a phenomenon is examined within the context of the blogosphere. The
gatekeeping theory is used as an approach to journalism in the online environment. So far, only a
very limited number of studies have specifically addressed gatekeeping in the online environment
where citizen journalists decide what is news and which issues need to be raised on the public
sphere agenda. In the online context this is sometimes referred to as gatewatching.
Although not professionally trained journalists, citizen journalists often perform the same
gatekeeping functions as professional journalists. As gatewatchers of mainstream media content,
press releases and other background information, citizen journalists may reintroduce debate in
the public sphere and introduce new insights previously overlooked by the mainstream media.
This article demonstrates how citizen journalists acted as editorial ‘gatewatchers’ on the topic of
the Gautrain project’s readiness for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup in terms of seven categories.
It also illustrates that when functioning as editorial gatewatchers, citizen journalists have the
potential to establish new criteria for newsworthiness in the public sphere.

In this issue, we have revived a tradition which I was reminded of when looking through some of Communicare’s past issues, dating back to the 1980s, now uploaded to the open-access site. In the early days, Communicare’s very lively 'Last Word' slot invited critical comments on contemporary matters of concern, but for the most part, the journal took a hands-off position and followed conventional publishing practice.

Communicare was repositioned in 2016 by encouraging debate in addition to case studies and inviting comprehensive interventions addressing current questions. The editors now want to actively engage in debates as they might affect new knowledge, state policy and developmental planning.

This issue thus inserts itself into the long-running controversy over the Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) that is predicted by three authors in this number to potentially damage the South African educational book publishing industry. The Bill aims to weaken protections as far as educational materials are concerned. While the Bill is expected to pass into law in 2023, the lead author in this number, Keyan Tomaselli, has sketched the likely implications of the proposed legislation for the national South African research economy and for academic authors also.

With the current edition, change comes to Communicare as we strive to respond to the needs of our readers, contributors and the broad academic community. For many years Communicare has been publishing articles from beyond Southern Africa. The articles published in the journal are read worldwide, so it is only fitting that the title of the journal has changed from Communicare: Journal for Communications Sciences in Southern Africa to Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa. Since its inception in 1980, Communicare has been a subscription journal, but this year we are leaping into the future as the journal has become an open access journal. Open access publishing in recent decades has become a growing trend in publishing (Laakso 2011). Furthermore, globally, an increasing number of research funding agencies, especially those that rely on public funding, mandate publishing research findings under open access model (The Economist 2018).

In November 2022, ChatGPT was released into the public domain and took the world by storm, causing a variety of responses ranging from alarming scenarios of artificial intelligence (AI) posing an existential threat to humanity to more optimistic views that it opens immense new possibilities for advancement in various fields including healthcare and education.

This issue marks three years of Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa publishing in an open-access format under UJ Press. Since 2022, the journal has achieved significant milestones by retaining South Africa's Department of Higher Education accreditation and being added to the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) in 2024. Communicare is a top performing among UJ Press journals with monthly views between 1500 and 3000. These successes are attributed to the contributions of editors, reviewers, authors, readers and the production staff.  

On September 28 and 29, 2023, the University of Johannesburg’s Department for Strategic Communication hosted an international conference in conjunction with its sister department at Lund University, Sweden. Under the headline Reflect, Rethink and Reimagine: A Decade of Strategic Communication more than 120 scholars gathered physically and virtually to look back as well as forward, to take stock of past achievements as well as think about the future. The contributions from all over the continent, and indeed the world, spanned all levels of investigation: the tricky details on micro-level, the organizational dynamics on meso-level, the convoluted and complex issues on macro-level. Eminent practitioners joined the event. Some provided inspirational and visionary highlights; others, equally important, sobering reality-checks. Last but not least, UJ’s very own ‘Gallery of Talent’ challenged the participants with music, performances and poetry.

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The first Southern African cartoonists were probably the Stone Age Bushman whose drawings adorn rock faces in this part of the continent. Modern cartoonists may use more sophisticated equipment but their drawings, although on recyclable print, also reflect a particular part of our history. The following view of Schoonraad et al (1989:15: "A collection of cartoons covering a particular period, will present an unequalled graphic history of political and current events" They also add that the state of any nation is reflected by its newspaper cartoons Geipel 1972 argues that to the historian, cartoons represent priceless primary source of information about fleeting modes and morals of the passing generations. Few commentators Pretoria will disagree that the run-up to the 1994-election can be regarded as one of the most crucial moments in South African history. The focus will only be on the editorial cartoon usually found on the centre pages of Sunday and daily newspapers and not on comic strips of which the majority are from US-syndications. The only local comic strips that provide (198 social and political commentary are "Ben, Babsie en Famille" and "Louis die Laeveld Leeu".