I have lamented the lack of correction policies at South African news websites elsewhere and this week's Sunday Times offers yet another good case study why it's important.

Full text of a speech I gave at the inaugural meeting of the Press Council, Johannesburg, 2 November 2007.

This body really has to succeed - if it can't win respect from editors and government, as being above the fray, then we're in big trouble. Everybody. Government, media, public. The scenario then will be external regulation, rather than self-regulation.

LIBERALS and lefties alike have deplored reports of the imminent arrest of SA’s top editor and his deputy as the latest example of an authoritarian offensive by President Mbeki’s oligarchy against a critical press. Pish tosh. This case may actually do journalism more good than harm.

IN THE BEGINNING:

Sunday 14 October, the SA National Editors Forum released a press statement on the possible arrest of Sunday Times staffers, with the somewhat confusing remark:

“This latest development will present the Sunday Times and the aggrieved parties to present their full cases before an independent arbiter, whose decision we expect them to embrace.”

ALONG THE WAY:

The Times launched today, cracking open some new thinking in old media in South Africa. The Times hopes to be a more interactive newspaper, leveraging the interactivity of the web with the physical nature of a daily print edition. They have a long way to go (launching a new newspaper is not an easy task), and I figure I should provide some initial insights and criticism of their approach.