Over the past two years, a debate has raged in South Africa between senior officials of the ruling ANC and editors of the country’s press. In a dramatic confrontation, the then-CEO of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Dali Mpofu, issued a strongly worded statement harshly criticising journalists for being driven by “foreign, frigid and feelingless freedoms (of the press) – instead of the qualities of ubuntu (meaning collective solidarity”.

The editor of the Sowetan, Thabo Leshilo, responded by saying that Mpofu was arguing for self censorship, and that he was guilty of perpetuating the myth that "because we are black, we cannot believe in the freedom of the press, but only pretend to be converted. We are, after all, savages incapable of comprehending the intricacies of such 'foreign' universal values as press freedom in a free society".

The spat revealed the serious issue at the heart of the new democracy’s media landscape: that press freedom should be curbed in favour of patriotic, party or collective values. The issue is one which reappears, often in more serious forms, in many countries, both democratic and authoritarian.

This project will examine the case of South Africa – and extend its scope by an examination of the relationship and tensions between journalism and state in other African countries.