South Africa news, front pages compared
Crosswire tracks 6 major South Africa news outlets. Preview their homepages side by side below — switch between two, three and four columns, go compact, or translate every page into your language.
The South Africa media landscape on Crosswire
Crosswire lays South Africa's front pages next to one another so you can see which stories lead where, how headlines are framed, and what one outlet foregrounds that another leaves out. Of the 6 titles tracked here, 1 lean left and 5 sit near the centre; Crosswire currently lists no right-leaning outlet in South Africa, so for a contrasting perspective it is worth reading one of these beside a title from another country.
By kind of outlet, the 6 titles break down as 2 news portals (News24 and IOL), 2 daily newspapers (TimesLIVE and Mail & Guardian), 1 business daily (Business Day) and 1 digital-native outlet (Daily Maverick). Crosswire lists no public-service broadcaster for South Africa, so the fixed point in a comparison has to be a wire service or the most widely read daily instead.
South Africa sits in Southern Africa, on Crosswire's Africa hub. By outlets tracked it is 1st of the 10 countries in Southern Africa and 1st of the 45 across Africa, where the average is 4 outlets per country. Its neighbours in Southern Africa with hubs of their own are Zimbabwe (6), Angola (5), Botswana (5), Malawi (4), Mozambique (4), Namibia (4), Zambia (4), Lesotho (3) and Eswatini (2).
Leaning groupings are approximate guides drawn from widely cited media-bias assessments — see the methodology and what the labels can and can't tell you. Counts are taken from the directory as of .
Which are South Africa's main news outlets?
Across South Africa's editorial spectrum, Crosswire currently lists on the left, Mail & Guardian; near the center, News24, TimesLIVE, IOL, Daily Maverick and Business Day. Each outlet below links to a full profile — its facts, editorial leaning and a live front-page preview — and the comparison view above shows any of them side by side.
News24 is one of South Africa's largest online news portals, operated by Media24, part of the Naspers group. It provides English-language coverage of South African politics, business, sport, and breaking news, alongside international stories. With a large digital readership, it is among the most visited news websites in the country and offers both free and subscription content.
TimesLIVE is the online news platform associated with South Africa's Sunday Times and other Arena Holdings titles. It delivers English-language reporting on national politics, business, sport, and current affairs. As the digital home of long-established South African newspaper journalism, it is widely read for in-depth news and investigative coverage.
The Mail & Guardian is a South African weekly newspaper and online publication known for investigative journalism and political analysis. Published in English, it has a long history of reporting on corruption, governance, and social issues, and is generally regarded as left-leaning and liberal in outlook. It is considered one of the country's most influential outlets for in-depth reporting.
IOL (Independent Online) is a South African news website operated by Independent Media, aggregating content from the group's newspapers such as the Cape Times and The Star. It offers English-language coverage of national news, politics, business, sport, and lifestyle. IOL is one of South Africa's established online news destinations with a broad general readership.
Daily Maverick is a South African online news and investigative journalism publication founded in 2009. It is known for its Scorpio investigative unit and operates on a free-to-read, reader-supported membership model.
Business Day is South Africa's main financial and business daily newspaper, published by Arena Holdings. It focuses on companies, markets, economics and national politics for a professional and investor readership.
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Reading the news critically
The vocabulary and the method behind these comparisons.