Carte Blanche on M-Net: 'If the Protection of State Information Bill is passed into law, it will stop you from getting the full picture.''

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South African television's best and longrunning weekly investigative magazine show, Carte Blanche on M-Net, came out with guns blazing earlier this evening against the government's draconian Protection of State Information Bill set to clamp down on South African press freedom and journalists, and citizen's right to information.

In dramatic visual fashion Carte Blanche's acclaimed and highly respected executive producer George Mazarakis suddenly appeared on air during Sunday evening's broadcast on M-Net, denouncing the South African government's attempt to curtail press freedom in South Africa and clamping down on people's ''right to know''.

In September the Carte Blanche reporters appeared as a united front in a special public service announcement as they stood together and said that ''we the journalists of South Africa believe the Protection of State Information Bill is a threat to our constitutional right of access to information and freedom of expression, and hence the lifeblood of our democracy.''

In September Carte Blanche anchor Derek Watts in a scathing editorial within the show, said ''why do we need the Protection of State Information Bill to stifle journalism and hamper media freedom? Where in our short democratic history has that freedom led to any direct harm to the government as a whole or to our country?'' Derek Watts said ''this is the first stage of turning South Africa into another state where media freedom is virtually extinguished''.

In a visually jarring and eye-popping editorial - possibly foreshadowing the shape of things to come - George Mazarakis appeared Sunday night on screen in Carte Blanche on M-Net.

''Carte Blanche's slogan is 'you have the right to see it all'. The new Protection of State Information Bill will effectively prevent that,'' George Mazarakis said solemnly.

Then a black screen quickly started to black him out as he spoke.

''If the bill is passed into law, it will stop you from getting the full picture. We stand by our promise to fight for access to information and to uphold you're right to see it all,'' said George Mazarakis as eventually the whole screen went pitch black.

Then, silently, the words appeared: ''YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SEE IT ALL''

The widely respected Derek Watts also weighed in on the controversial Protection of State Information Bill in the same episode on Sunday saying that it's been a week that ''has seen parliament move a step closer to muzzling the media with the passing of the Protection of State Information Bill''.

''It legislates a number of criminal offenses that will affect whistleblowers and information the public has a right to know,'' he said. ''Now the Bill goes to the national council of provinces, and there may still be challenges to its constitutionality. We live in hope that South Africa will still show the way for the rest of Africa.''

Carte Blanche, produced by Combined Artists, and which have won hundreds of awards locally and internationally for investigative work, currently holds the record for the longest running, uninterrupted TV show (local show as well as overall TV show) seen in South Africa.