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by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) In 1994, the abolishment of apartheid was celebrated around the world, as an end was brought to the former government’s oppressive laws and censorship. But, sadly, the battle for press freedom did not end there, and South Africa is currently ranks 42nd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF’s) 2014 Index of Press Freedom.

Secrecy Bill

For journalists, it’s a pretty dismal prospect that the so-called Secrecy Bill has been passed by Parliament, despite strident opposition from all but the ruling ANC. At this stage, the bill still has to be signed into law by the President, but that is ordinarily just a formality.

The bill gives the minister of state security control over the classification of information — in other words, the government can declare any piece of information a state secret, and then it may not be reported on, disseminated or even looked at. And while the government insists that whistle-blowers will be protected and no one will be able to use the bill to hide corruption, opponents to the bill, such as human rights and legal experts, opposition parties and civil society bodies, say it prioritises state interests over transparency and freedom of expression.

These critics refer to section 32 of the Constitution, which states that “every person has the right of access to all information held by the state or any of its organs in any sphere of government in so far as that information is required for the exercise or protection of any of their rights.”

Citizens’ attempt

There is still an attempt being made by citizens to try and stop the bill, at least in its present form. Right2Know is an organisation that was formed in 2010 to oppose the Secrecy Bill, and it has continued to do so in the form of parliamentary lobbying, street demonstrations and various campaigns. The latest took the form of an email campaign in 2013, which was nominated for a ‘Webby’ Award — one of only two from South Africa this year. The “Webbies” are the Internet’s ‘Oscars’, presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, in categories such as websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile.

Ireland/Davenport’s Right2Know Confidential E-mail Campaign

Below the medical report was a message in red: “JUST BY LOOKING AT THIS DOCUMENT YOU HAVE NOW BROKEN THE LAW AND COULD GET 25 YEARS IN JAIL.” Beneath that, it explained, in a bold red block: “If the South African Secrecy Bill is passed in its entirety, coming into contact with confidential documents such as these will be classified as breaking the law, and could land you behind bars. Stand up for democracy. Sign the petition before the Secrecy Bill is signed into law.”

A link directs to a dedicated form for the journalists to pledge their support for the petition that calls for President Jacob Zuma not to sign the bill into law. One has to hope that this final effort creates enough of a ripple effect to stop the bill in its tracks. Failing that, the Right2Know Campaign will have to ask the Constitutional Court to declare it unconstitutional.

Cornerstone of democracy

Internationally, press freedom is considered a cornerstone of democracy — the so-called “Fourth Estate”. Along with an independent judiciary, it is meant to be a balancing force against a government that may overreach and abuse its power. By keeping the populace informed, the press plays a vital role in ensuring democratic principles are upheld.

In the USA and here — and in some other countries — there seems to be an ongoing attempt being made by governments to curtail press freedom, especially when it comes to “sensitive topics” such as nuclear safety and military activity.

On the one hand, it can be argued that it is reasonable for a country to keep secrets from an aggressor, and perhaps it is also reasonable that a company may wish to keep secrets from a competitor; but, on the other hand, when those secrets potentially violate the basic human rights of citizens, one enters into contentious territory. From bread cartels to arms deals, the citizens of a democratic society have a right to know about issues that affect their lives.

In an ideal world

Government asks its citizens to trust it, and on a certain level one has no choice. In an ideal world, elected and appointed officials are in a position of power where they are expected to make decisions that ensure the smooth running of the country, while citizens carry on their day-to-day lives, earning an income and paying taxes.

But when those officials are either inefficient or corrupt, who is there to blow the whistle or bring the government to book? Certainly not the government itself — no number of oversight committees could possibly keep track of everything that goes on in every aspect of government. And it’s moot to expect independence from a committee that is paid by the very people it is supposed to watch.

An argument I would make against the Secrecy Bill, as it now stands, is that one only has to look at how the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) has been cynically manipulated and avoided by those hoping to hide information to wonder about the stated intentions of such laws. A report in 2013 by PAIA CSN (Civil Society Network) put full compliance with requests for access to information at some 16%, and found that timeframes were also being flouted.

A very successful campaign

Getting back to the email campaign: Ireland/Davenport, in its case study video, claims it was very successful, and I would tend to agree. It had a 20% click-through rate and gained massive online traction; 18 762 forms were submitted (maybe more by now).

Email marketing is an interesting medium (and I’m referring here to legitimate email marketing, not ‘spam’). One of its unique features is that it allows for ‘testing and tweaking’ before final release.

In this case, Ireland/Davenport did ‘split testing’ — four different versions were sent to four equivalent sample groups, and both the ‘opens’ and the ‘click-throughs’ were tracked, to see which hit the ‘sweet spot’. In addition, follow-ups with different subject-lines were sent to the base of unopened mails, to drive awareness.

Outstanding results

Normally email marketing is a ‘numbers game’, and click-throughs can be low in terms of percentage. In this case, it was targeted at a very specific group of people — journalists — and as a result obtained outstanding results.

For the record, this campaign missed out on winning a ‘Webby’ — but congratulations to the Ireland/Davenport team nonetheless for a campaign that won great results for an organisation that is fighting the good fight for freedom of information in South Africa.

Ad of the Week, published on MarkLives every Wednesday, is penned by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki), the CEO of Ornico, a Brand Intelligence® firm that focuses on media, reputation and brand research.

If you are involved in making advertising that is smart, funny and/or engaging,
please let Oresti know about it at info@ornicogroup.co.za.

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