Positioning independent community media: Findings from a case study of six small South African newspapers

Abstract

This article brings defining aspects of ‘community media’ – as proposed by a group of media stakeholders – into dialogue with research findings from a study on small ‘independent media’. One significant difference between the two media sectors is that the former is usually understood as being driven by commune-style ownership and community control, and the latter by private ownership and profit-driven control. We argue that perceptions constructed by this difference potentially marginalise small independent media organisations. It may compromise their access to funding as well as obscure how, and how much, they contribute to their communities. We find that the six South African small independent newspapers in this research meet defining criteria for ‘community media’. Research findings on issues such as social responsibility, participatory democracy, media diversity and the generation of skills and wealth demonstrate how the principles and practices of the two media sectors overlap. So we propose ‘independent community media’ as a more inclusive and appropriate concept and term for small community-oriented publications, irrespective of their ownership profiles or relationship to profit. Independence is also examined – particularly how the newspapers balance editorial independence with outside control: this reveals inequitable practices currently threatening some newspapers’ survival and success.     

Turkey’s Judiciary and the Drift Toward Competitive Authoritarianism

Turkey has always been considered an “illiberal democracy”, or in Freedom House’s terms, a “partly-free” country. In recent years, however, there has been a downward trend toward “competitive authoritarianism”. Such regimes are competitive in that opposition parties use democratic institutions to contest seriously for power, but they are not democratic because the playing field is heavily skewed in favour of incumbents. One of the methods employed by competitive authoritarian leaders is the use of informal mechanisms of repression. This, in turn, requires a dependent and cooperative judiciary. Thus, in Turkey the year 2014 can be described as a period when the governing AKP (Justice and Development Party) made a sustained and systematic effort to establish its control over the judiciary by means of a series of laws of dubious constitutionality.     

审前重复供述的排除问题研究

在非法证据排除规则确立后,审前重复供述的排除问题浮出水面.从确保非法证据排除规则有效实施、消极的实证真实发现主义、人权保障以及遏制刑讯的角度看,审前重复供述应该排除.非法取证行为的持续影响效力理论是排除审前重复供述的依据,排除审前重复供述的标准是刑讯逼供等非法行为与重复供述之间存在因果关系.具体来说,排除重复供述,需要有刑讯逼供等非法取供行为,且该行为对被追诉人产生了较大影响,使其供述自由受到了较大限制.排除非法口供后,可反驳地推定重复供述不具有可采性.控方如欲使用重复供述,需要证明不存在因果关系.排除重复供述可能会遇到诸多障碍,需要通过法官独立司法维护司法公正.     

Lijphart goes regional: Different patterns of consensus in Swiss democracies

This article addresses the relationships among the main political institutions of the two dozen cantonal democracies which constitute the Swiss federal state. By replicating Lijphart's analysis in the Swiss subnational context, the article seeks to explain the relationships of the political-institutional variables in the Swiss cantons. The main finding of the article is that in contrast to international comparisons, the cantons cannot be classified along the continuum of majoritarian and consensus democracies. However, the Swiss cantonal democracies practice clearly distinguishable forms of power sharing. Based on a factor analysis and a cluster analysis, it is possible to distinguish a two-dimensional pattern of cantonal democracies and five groups of cantons. Although there are a number of different procedures to achieve political stability through division of power in the cantons, the different characteristics of power sharing can, essentially – and with reference to Switzerland's central institutions – perfectly well be situated on a single axis; namely, on that between pronounced direct citizen involvement and broadly supported government coalitions.     

论我国独立董事的独立性及其制度保障

独立董事的独立性体现在人格独立和经济独立。独立董事应当不受公司股东、其他董事、高级管理人员等人的影响和控制,基于职业道德和法律约束,着眼于公司长远利益,独立决策和判断。我国现行制度不能保障独立董事独立性,应围绕独立董事事务所的建立,革新独立董事的选任制度,从源头保证其独立性。建立独立董事履行职权的内部和外部支持体系,保障其可以独立、充分发挥职权。建立以监事会监督为主体、利益相关者监督为补充的对独立董事的监督制度,进一步保证独立董事的独立性。     

法官职业化的反思与重构

我国法官职业化建设存在着三个缺失:精英理念的缺失、制度性独立的缺失和法律方法论的缺失.法官职业化建设只能依照精英化的策略来完成,制度性独立是实施法官职业精英化策略的基本条件,法律方法论是法官职业精英化的重要内涵.     

“中华民国第二共和宪法草案”评析

2007年3月,陈明通等人抛出"中华民国第二共和宪法草案",该草案是落实陈水扁"法理台独"指示的版本,是贯彻李登辉"两国论"的表现,是试图向统独各方压力妥协的产物。社会各界对该草案都不满意,是不可能实现的方案。     

信用证的独立性与买卖双方的非独立性

信用证独立于买卖合同,但是买卖双方既受信用证的支配,又受买卖合同的支配,所以双方的权利义务并不能完全取决于信用证。当存在信用证与买卖合同不一致的情况时,如果履行信用证的义务不会与履行主合同义务相冲突,那么卖方应该既履行主合同义务,还要履行信用证之规定;如果相冲突,可以认为信用证对卖方之义务是买方通过银行向卖方提出的一种新要约,卖方按照信用证行事属于一种对新要约的承诺。     

司法判决与民意冲突解读

在从身份到契约的变化中,法律程序起着极为重要的作用。司法判决与民意冲突的问题在其他国家同样存在,唯对于正处于社会转型中的中国而言,各界尚对程序正义、司法独立、技术理性等缺乏足够的认识及尊重。从当前司法活动中引发的诸多误解来看,本质上是程序正义与实质正义、技术理性与大众理性、司法权与行政权、司法权与知情权的冲突问题,对其善加解读具有一定的启示意义。     

中国政府监管机构构建中的缺失与前瞻性思考──兼议政府监管领域"大部门体制"的改革方向

中国目前虽然成立了一些冠以"监管"或"监督管理"之名的机构,但与现代意义上的监管机构还有相当大的差距。中国政府监管机构的设立应坚持"立法先行"的原则,避免"三定方案"带给监管机构的尴尬境地;中国政府监管机构不宜采用美国的独立管制委员会模式或以英国为代表的公法人模式,现阶段比较现实和稳妥的做法是在国家行政体制框架内设置行政机构类型的监管机构,最好采用隶属于国务院的监管机构模式,并通过法律机制保障其独立性;面对产业汇流的趋势,在经济性监管领域,应设立综合性的监管机构。