Young men flinging stones at tanks. Streets blockaded by burning tires. Helmeted troops firing into crowds of rioters. Night after night, such images once gave television viewers around the world a chilling picture of South Africa's racial and political turmoil. But when Pretoria declared a state of emergency in June 1986 and imposed tough new press-censorship regulations, the scenes of violence suddenly disappeared. So, to a large extent, did television's interest in the story. As a result, there has been a significant drop in network coverage of South Africa.
Filling that void is the mission of South Africa Now, a privately...