National Assembly
Motion Without Notice
I hereby move without notice, that the House;
Notes that the media as the ‘fourth estate’ plays a vital and crucial role in any democratic society;
Further notes this includes, but is not limited, to provoking public debate, leading to greater public participation in important decisions; while alerting and mobilizing public opinion to injustices and humanitarian causes;
Acknowledges that recent attacks on the media will only serve to undermine and weaken our young democracy;
Further acknowledges that comments to the effect that the media, while reporting on crime, is encouraging young people to commit crime is baseless and must be condemned;
Affirms that the media while uncovering crime, corruption and abuses, are fulfilling an important mandate of putting pressure on relevant authorities to take action and to put in place remedial actions;
Asserts that the notion of the media as watchdog, as guardian of the public interest, and as a conduit between politicians and the public, must be protected at all times;
Conveys its gratitude to the media at large, for their tireless efforts in supporting and protecting, often under difficult circumstances, South Africa’s fledgling democracy.
I so move
