Freedom of expression under siege?

[AndyD]

Defeating the ends of justice, obstructing or hindering a police officer from carrying out his lawful duties...

EDIT: add (possibly) operating a Blackberry while driving (I just checked out his profile).
19000 followers - impressive!

I think that the speed traps at least are supposed to be a deterrent and the police aren't allowed to conceal them so publishing their locations might not be against the law. Obstructing justice or hindering a police officer I think is a charge that applies to a particular event and not a trend in behaviour over time as such.

After that fiasco with the arrest of that journalist the other week, kicking his door in, swat team type arrest, held without charge fr days etc I have no doubt they'll have something similar lined up for Pig Spotter.

19000 followers on twitter isn't in the Justin Beiber league but it's not bad for a local boy :-)

[Dave A]

Self-imposed censorship out of intimidation is just as bad as legislated forms of censorship?

The media's self-regulation should not turn into self-censorship, African National Congress (ANC) veteran Kader Asmal said on Tuesday.

"... Self-censorship and the forces that conspire to ensure its evolution are equally dangerous," Asmal said in a speech prepared for delivery at the University of the Witwatersrand to mark Black Wednesday.

Asmal noted weekend reports that the ANC's proposed media appeals tribunal (MAT) may be sidelined in favour of a more "proactive approach" to self-regulation by the media themselves.
full story from M&G here

I tend to agree.

[Butch Hannan]

Maybe all the newspapers should just for a week publish the papers with a whole lot of blank columns. This would be a reminder of a grim past where censorship ruled supreme.

[Dave S]

Just a sober thought. If the bill goes through, and let's be honest, there is a 99.99999% steam-rolled chance that it will, how much of this current topic would be in contravention of the new bill?

It's already a scary thought that we have to watch everything we say around people, but not being able to express your thoughts at all... would be murder in the first degree!

[wynn]

you ANC what we are stealing cause we ANC why you should!

[Dave A]

Just a sober thought. If the bill goes through, and let's be honest, there is a 99.99999% steam-rolled chance that it will, how much of this current topic would be in contravention of the new bill?

I've kinda got a plan if it happens to come to that. But perhaps the real question is how much of the bill would be in contravention of the Constitution

[Dave S]

I've kinda got a plan if it happens to come to that. But perhaps the real question is how much of the bill would be in contravention of the Constitution

It wouldn't surprise me if most of it was in contravention. As we have seen in the past, the constitution will simply be adapted to fit the law, not vice-versa. We might have a multi-party gobblemunt, but I don't think the ANC are listening much to the other parties, do you?