Very pleased to share my article in @techpolicypress.bsky.social, where I unpack the South African Competition Commission’s final Media & Digital Platforms Market Inquiry report – the key compromises, the progress made & deep structural challenges that persist. www.techpolicy.press/a-pragmatic-...

Very pleased to share my article in @techpolicypress.bsky.social, where I unpack the South African Competition Commission’s final Media & Digital Platforms Market Inquiry report – the key compromises, the progress made & deep structural challenges that persist. www.techpolicy.press/a-pragmatic-...

Reflections on our #ctrljafrica event, where African regulators, global digital platforms, civil society, media publishers, journalists, govt, content creators & ‘newsfluencers’ met. We had 121 participants from 23 countries, with 41 out 47 speakers from Africa & strong rep rom Brazil & Indonesia.

Co-hosted by our Media Leadership Think Tank & International Fund for Public Interest Media, CTRL+J Africa convenes publishers, govts, regulators, funders & civil society to discuss who controls future of journalism. Live streaming from 9:00 AM (SAST) on 4 Sept: www.youtube.com/live/eVxDRtp...

We have just completed Block 1 of the inaugural Executive Programme in Media Leadership at GIBS & what an energising start it’s been! As lead faculty for the programme, huge thanks to this fantastic pan-African group for your insight, curiosity & commitment. Look forward to seeing you again!

It’s a line with deep roots and various origin stories, often regarded as a Turkish proverb. Whatever the source, the proverb speaks to a reality journalism must confront: the forces that weaken it are not always external. Sometimes, consequential decisions come from within.

Excellent faculty confirmed for our EP in Media Leadership; from leading GIBS faculty in strategy, leadership, innovation & entrepreneurship to globally recognised experts in media sustainability, public interest journalism, digital transformation & emerging tech. www.gibs.co.za/programmes/e...

Excellent faculty confirmed for our EP in Media Leadership; from leading GIBS faculty in strategy, leadership, innovation & entrepreneurship to globally recognised experts in media sustainability, public interest journalism, digital transformation & emerging tech. www.gibs.co.za/programmes/e...

Just in case you’re wondering, today @techcentral.co.za published my take on Africa’s biggest media deal - @canalplusat.bsky.social’s takeover of MultiChoice - now that the deal has been recommended for approval by South Africa’s Competition Commission. techcentral.co.za/really-at-st...

Opinion | Michael Markovitz @michaelmarkovitz.bsky.social on what the Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice could mean for competition in South Africa’s media ecosystem.

SA has experienced how disinfo can be weaponised to damage its sovereignty, economy & credibility...The case vs Israel always triggered threats of retaliation & now the ‘white genocide’ lie is being amplified as geopolitical retribution. My piece: michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/why-defend...

SA has experienced how disinfo can be weaponised to damage its sovereignty, economy & credibility...The case vs Israel always triggered threats of retaliation & now the ‘white genocide’ lie is being amplified as geopolitical retribution. My piece: michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/why-defend...

Vile disinformation operation delivers for these white refugees from democracy, proving that with enough money, privilege can be repackaged as victimhood. Meanwhile, the Trump regime’s cruelty toward its own vulnerable citizens continues to be fully exposed. (paywall) www.news24.com/citypress/ne...

Vile disinformation operation delivers for these white refugees from democracy, proving that with enough money, privilege can be repackaged as victimhood. Meanwhile, the Trump regime’s cruelty toward its own vulnerable citizens continues to be fully exposed. (paywall) www.news24.com/citypress/ne...

Press freedom without sustainability is like a voice without breath. It may exist in principle but can't be exercised in practice. We're responding not just through research & advocacy - but by equipping a new generation of leaders to meet this moment. michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/on-world-p...

Press freedom without sustainability is like a voice without breath. It may exist in principle but can't be exercised in practice. We're responding not just through research & advocacy - but by equipping a new generation of leaders to meet this moment. michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/on-world-p...

The Jewish Chronicle is perhaps the only paper in British history where we are not allowed to know who owns it, or why. Its refusal to run an ad critical of Netanyahu makes this untenable, writes @arusbridger.bsky.social. www.prospectmagazine...

Great piece by @arusbridger.bsky.social on the editorial & regulatory failure behind the Jewish Chronicle scandal in the UK. Not so in SA where the Jewish Report was 1st ever member to be expelled from SA Press Council for refusing to obey rulings in 2022. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...

Looking forward to the virtual launch of our inaugural Executive Programme in Media Leadership at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), Joburg. 📅 Date: 15 April 2025 ⏰ Time: 12:00-13:00 SAST (GMT+2) Register for our webinar here!👉 lnkd.in/dRntcEeD www.bizcommunity.com/article/gibs...

Here we are again. Another analogue switch off date has been suspended by a court, confirming decade long warnings from South African broadcasters and civil society groups. My quick take on the judgement and the way forward: open.substack.com/pub/michaelm...

Here is my latest piece on the Canal+ planned takeover of the Multichoice Group where I argue that the concentration of sports and premium content rights across the continent could have potentially dire consequences for African public broadcasters and commercial competitors.

Broken promises. michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/a-broken-p...

With e.tv's permission, you can watch The Switch Off on my substack, Media Explorations. Its an investigation by Karen Schoonbee & Annika Larsen into the repeated failure of SA's digital migration, including insights from experts, civil society & myself. michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/a-broken-p...

With e.tv's permission, you can watch The Switch Off on my substack, Media Explorations. Its an investigation by Karen Schoonbee & Annika Larsen into the repeated failure of SA's digital migration, including insights from experts, civil society & myself. michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/a-broken-p...

If you worked for 18F and got fired, Group together to start a consulting company. It’s just a matter of time before DOGE needs you to fix the mess they inevitably create. They will have to hire your company as a contractor to fix it. But on your terms. I’m happy to invest and/or help

Opinion | The Competition Commission’s provisional report into Big Tech and South African news media, published on Monday, moves beyond the typical pay-for-harm model, writes @michaelmarkovitz.bsky.social.

I heart Tina Smith.

One of the largest African media gatherings on the continent opening in Nairobi this morning #AMF2025

Launched on 24 February 2025 in Johannesburg, this is the most significant report to date from an independent Global South regulator taking on Big Tech and AI’s impact on news. My opinion piece 👇

My piece has been updated to take into account the Competition Commission’s announcement today that their provisional report on Media and Digital Platforms will be released on 24 February 2025.

My latest piece: With Trump’s unfounded & bizarre executive order still ringing in our ears, it may seem quaint that SA's media sector is eagerly awaiting the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry provisional report. More 👇 michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/global-ass...

My Substack piece was re-published by @dailymaverick.co.za today 🙏 www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/... #digitalsovereignty #publicinterest #competitionlaw #BigTech #AI #journalism #executiveorder

My latest piece: With Trump’s unfounded & bizarre executive order still ringing in our ears, it may seem quaint that SA's media sector is eagerly awaiting the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry provisional report. More 👇 michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/global-ass...

Looking & feeling like the dog that caught the car, hey Kallie? But really no need to send another AfriForum delegation to Washington, you've done enough damage already. Unless of course your delegation is about claiming refugee status & its therefore a one way trip. #ExecutiveDisorder #SouthAfrica

Incredible that South Africa is being lectured in racism & law by a convicted felon heading the most lawless, racist US govt in memory. Trump/Musk's state capture project makes Gupta heist look like a picnic in Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens. People in grass houses shouldn't get stoned.

Incredible that South Africa is being lectured in racism & law by a convicted felon heading the most lawless, racist US govt in memory. Trump/Musk's state capture project makes Gupta heist look like a picnic in Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens. People in grass houses shouldn't get stoned.

For those buying Musk-laced lie that SA's Expropriation Act is a threat to private property & are insanely cheering on US sanctions, listen to interview with Adv Ngcukaitobi: "The SA govt is very committed to private property. In fact it worships private property." www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUro...

When bending the knee is really just a public knee-capping by Brother Leader.

Dripping with irony & Trump-style transactionalism, TikTok’s messaging to US users reaches a new level of groveling. I'm no expert but surely authority to delay implementation of a law already enacted by POTUS rests exclusively with Congress or the judiciary as dictated by the separation of powers?

What could possibly go wrong?

The three richest men in the world are all genuflecting before Trump. All to curry favor so they can maintain their control over our political and economic systems — and to avoid accountability for their abuses of power. This is what oligarchy looks like.

Nails it. Republished this week by @techpolicypress.bsky.social

'Legacy media' still shoulder huge financial & regulatory burden of meeting journalistic standards while tech oligarchs totally abandon their duty of care to the public. Platform recklessness also makes support for independent public media even more urgent www.publicmediaalliance.org/meta-fact-ch...

Zuckerberg has always struggled to convincingly portray someone guided by principles. In fact, the Meta CEO embodies the famous Groucho Marx quote: “Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others”.

Musk’s launches Election Interference as shiny new export product, wading into other countries, undermining sovereign democracies, stirring up hate speech, recklessly flexing his platform power, and being totally unaccountable for the consequences. on.ft.com/3BK73ZH

Musk’s launches Election Interference as shiny new export product, wading into other countries, undermining sovereign democracies, stirring up hate speech, recklessly flexing his platform power, and being totally unaccountable for the consequences. on.ft.com/3BK73ZH

It's worth remembering: It’s not platform oligarchs & social media influencers fighting for South Africans' right to know. It’s legacy media like Financial Mail & investigative group amabhungane, who win critical cases on access to info, like PwC's Steinhoff report. #publicinterest

It's worth remembering: It’s not platform oligarchs & social media influencers fighting for South Africans' right to know. It’s legacy media like Financial Mail & investigative group amabhungane, who win critical cases on access to info, like PwC's Steinhoff report. #publicinterest

As an unrehabilitated news junkie, there are some powerful antidotes to my news addiction at this time of the year: - anything that says 'Year in Review' - anything that says 'Predictions for 2025' * apologies to writers of genuinely good reviews & predictions but no can do :)

Last Media Explorations piece for 2024, reflecting on journalism’s global permacrisis & make recommendations for 2025. In short, the media cannot simply innovate its way out of a structural crisis fueled by market failure & rising authoritarian pressures michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/what-is-to...