Reconsidering the History of South African Journalism: The Ghost of the Slave Press

The concept of the “free press” is often celebrated as the vehicle which finally brought freedom of speech and democracy to post-apartheid South Africa, but historically, the position of the press was more complicated.

This book dives into the history of slavery at the Cape between 1800 and 1838, reflecting on the fact that several founding journalists and printers were slave owners themselves and advertised slaves as regular “property” in their publications. The book presents an inclusive h...