Research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and
Management, University of the Witwatersrand, towards a 33% fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of
Security).
11 November 2016. / South Africa, like other liberal democracies worldwide, is characterised by
constant tension between government and the media, particularly the press.
At the centre of the tension is the need by government to maintain a certain
level of state secrecy on the grounds of national security on the one hand,
and the need for transparency and the right of access to information on the
other. Both these rights are provided for in international and local statutory
instruments. Press reports about an alleged secret procurement by South
Africa’s Department of Defence of a spy satellite have also heightened the
tension.
The purpose of the research is to explore the nature of the tension through a
case study focusing on some national newspapers. The study examines if
the South African press, which, when it dispensed information to the public,
published sensitive state information that detrimentally impacted national
security.
This research shows that in some instances local newspapers published
classified and sensitive information relating to national security. Although a
court of law is the proper organ to determine whether the press contravened
the law by publishing sensitive security information, the disclosure arguably
prejudiced the national security interests of South Africa. / MT2018
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/23773 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Malinda, Nthomeni Edward |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (67 leaves), application/pdf |
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