Student Number: 0216613T Master of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences / This research examined the notion of liberal journalism in South Africa during apartheid as practiced at the RDM. It considered whether the paper, facing government scrutiny and restrictive laws, adhered to the principals of liberal journalism and how successfully it did so. The 1976 Soweto Uprising was used to assess the newspaper’s performance and the merits of arguments for and against the notion of it being a successful example of a liberal newspaper. Content analysis and interviews with RDM staff members, was used to assess the paper’s conduct. These primary sources were examined in conjunction with available literature and criticisms against the English press and RDM presented in testimonies at the TRCMH to assess the paper’s reportage and how valid criticisms against it were. The researcher concluded that, due to serious shortcomings, which included its reporting of the uprising, the RDM was not a successful liberal newspaper.