Media Sustainability and Access to Public Interest Journalism: Strategies and Considerations

"In the South Africa context, the state is bound by its domestic, regional, and international commitments not only to refrain from interfering with the exercise of public interest journalism but also to take positive steps to support public interest journalism in the realisation of the right to freedom of expression."

This report, published by the South Africa National Editors' Forum (SANEF), seeks to contribute to SANEF's mission of achieving media sustainability and universal access to public interest journalism in South Africa. It presents a series of strategies and policy options to promote media sustainability drawn from local, regional, and international comparative practices and examples for further deliberation and debate by media stakeholders. The strategies and recommendations outlined in the report focus on both public and private sector engagements and interventions and include the establishment of a media sustainability fund, state support schemes, coupon systems for news sites, and a public interest wire system.

As explained in the report, "the advent of the internet has brought with it many opportunities. The ability to receive and impart information online, in particular through the internet, has become central to the exercise and enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms: it enables people to engage in an array of learning experiences, build information and knowledge societies, foster public and private debate, establish organisations, and contribute to public interest innovation." Yet, the internet has also disrupted the media industry, resulting in falling revenues that have impeded the provision of all types of public interest news. These challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. SANEF explains that, in rural areas, in particular, the digital divide in South Africa and the limited ability of public interest media organisations to consistently access and service these communities, and at the same time promote reporting in and from these areas, is important to promote access to information and the full exercise of the democratic function across the access-to-news spectrum. There is, therefore, what SANEF describes as a need to develop strategies to achieve media sustainability and realise universal access to public interest journalism for all persons in South Africa.

The report outlines the constitutional and legal obligations of the South African government to ensure media sustainability and then goes on to define public interest journalism, also in relation to "journalism as a public good" and "public service journalism". It notes that this term is not universally defined but that one defining factor is its role and importance to healthy democracies. It mentions that it could be considered the "'antithesis of media's darker side, which includes fake news, propaganda, censorship and voyeurism' and its role has been increasingly recognised in recent research, including the Cairncross Review and the Australian Future of Public Interest Journalism Report, to distinguish between journalism which is a necessary pre-requisite to the full exercise of the democratic function and other forms of reportage which are less relevant to enhancing democratic legitimacy. Importantly, the distinction does not suggest that one is more deserving of legal protections. However, the distinction is useful for the determination of the types of journalism which should be more readily supported by media sustainability strategies."

The report presents eight media sustainability strategies and over fifteen direct policy considerations. These include:

• The establishment of a Media Sustainability Fund (MSF): One of the priority media sustainability strategies for SANEF is the possible establishment of an MSF. The mission of the MSF is to support the development, sustainability, and independence of public interest media organisations, in pursuance of the right to freedom of expression and democratic principles. In fully considering an MSF, this report considers its potential mission, eligibility criteria, sources of funding, and its structure and oversight.
• Promoting access to public interest news websites: Alongside an MSF, substantially reducing data costs and advocating for the zero-rating of public interest news websites and content have been identified as priority measures for SANEF. In considering these sustainability options, data costs, internet access, and possibilities related to zero-rating access to public interest content are considered.
• Fostering competition in the digital economy: In line with international trends, this report notes international developments, particularly in Australia and the United States, relating to fostering competition in the digital economy, including through enhanced engagement with the so-called FAANGs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google). In the South Africa context, this report suggests possible areas of engagement with South Africa's Competition Commission.
• Considering tax relief and other state support schemes: Allied to fostering competition in the digital economy, tax relief and other state support schemes are documented, including possibilities associated with converting license fees to a bespoke tax, the introduction of a new online advertising tax, and various other tax relief proposals for public interest media organisations and donors. An example of the latter is a proposed amendment to South Africa's Income Tax Act to allow for tax deductions for businesses, donors, and individuals who subscribe to community and local media.
• Engaging with different subsidisation, subscriptions, and other income-generating models: With an emphasis on comparative international examples, the benefits of subsidies are discussed, alongside the potential of "access tiering" - the practice of offering memberships and subscription discounts to older persons, students, and social grant recipients - and new business models.
• Assessing the potential of coupon and open-access systems: A possible coupon and open access system could facilitate subscriber access to premium content on multiple public interest news websites. The report also investigates the openTrust model, which promotes corporate social investment.
• Considering the establishment of public interest wire services: To address what Frances Cairncross refers to as the "humdrum task or reporting on the daily activities of public institutions" and to promote community media, the report considers the establishment of public interest wire services to (i) assist under-capacitated public interest media organisations and ensure that additional public interest media content is produced and distributed for publication, particularly on matters relating to the exercise of the democratic function and its institutions and to (ii) collect local content from community media organisations and distribute it to larger media houses for a fee.
• Promoting education, training, and learnerships: Lastly, this report reflects on the importance of fellowships to train young journalists, continuing development opportunities for mid-career journalists, and the need for the South African government to fund media information literacy (MIL) initiatives.

The report concludes that with concerted and collective action - and the requisite political will - strides can be made in not only sustaining public interest journalism in South Africa but working towards an enabling environment in which it can grow and flourish.