There were some remarkable scenes in the media ghetto on the outskirts of the ANC's national general council meeting in Durban on Thursday night, 23 September 2010, and early Friday morning, as journalists were finally briefed on the outcome of discussions in the media committee.
Despite the late hour, old hand Pallo Jordan cheerfully took on journalists in defending the ANC's track record on media freedom, declaring the local media landscape to have fundamental problems and dismissing concerns about media restrictions as hysterical.
That is a scene that has played itself out many times in recent months, at various debates and discussions and seminars around the country. This time, though, it was different. With Jordan in charge the whole thing had the atmosphere of debating club rather than mortal combat. Perhaps that was because Jordan had a trick up his sleeve. He presented a resolution which included the media appeals tribunal, but did not make it central - and contains some provisions that makes the body seem almost benign.
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