Beyond the Information Scandal: When South Africa bought into global news

South Africa's Information Scandal brought to light the extent to which the government tried to change popular perceptions through the manipulation of the press. South Africa's ‘Propaganda War’ began in 1972, at a time when the political, economic and social landscape was volatile and unpredictable – something the apartheid government hoped to better control by spending great sums on influencing negative press coverage and portraying a positive image of the country internationally. This article provides an historical account of the relationship between the South African Department of Information and UPITN (the then second largest television news distribution agency), and seeks to provide answers to questions about the influence of the government on the content distributed by the news agency during the period of ownership.