Secrecy bill concerns journalists

The Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) is deeply troubled that parliament, on 29 November, has steam-rolled the Protection of State Information Bill (Secrecy Bill) into the laws of South Africa, the organisation said in a press statement on Monday.
This Bill will definitely mar journalists in doing their jobs effectively. The Bill takes the country back 20 or 30 years into the Apartheid era when the state could decide what citizens should and should not know. It is a real blow for our young democracy.
“The FCJ, like other industry bodies, are strongly opposed to this Bill. Although many improvements have been made to the Bill, it is still not acceptable, especially the penalties that journalists face when they publish so-called secret information,” says Ben Burger, national chairperson of the FCJ.
The FCJ supports any action taken by fellow industry bodies and civil organizations in opposing the Bill and trust the courts will stop the Bill in its tracks.