Blank Spaces in Censored S. African Papers ‘Subversive’
The Sowetan, a black newspaper that carried blank spaces earlier this week where its news reports had been censored, carried a bold item on its front page today: “We have been advised that the police interpret the blank spaces . . . as being subversive. We will now fill the spaces with the most innocuous of writings.”
Another paper today took a different tack. The Weekly Mail, a liberal newspaper formed by staff of the defunct Rand Daily Mail, carried news reports blanked out with black strips where its lawyers said they broke state of emergency regulations.
Emergency rule, imposed June 12, severely restricts press comment.
The Sowetan’s frequently anti-government editorial column today said simply “No Comment.”
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