Is the Press Freedom Commission DOA?

... According to its website, the primary objective of the PFC is "to ensure press freedom in support of enhancing our democracy which is founded on human dignity, equality and freedom". The secondary objectives are: "review[ing] best practice locally and globally re: the regulation of specifically print media"; "[developing] recommendations on the way forward... [to be] published to the stakeholders and in the public domain" and that "the process for the finalisation of the recommendations will be completed by the end March 2012".

Media Monitoring Africa director William Bird told Daily Maverick: "I think [the PFC is] a nice idea, but I'm not clear on what it's going to be doing that's so different from what the Press Council was doing, other than that they've got eminent people to look at much the same issues."

Read the full story on www.thedailymaverick.co.za.