It is said that, in the early industrial age, coal to feed the emerging industries of Europe cost multiples of its original value at destination due to taxes being levied by each robber Baron on the way. Mercantilists still dream of 'cornering the market,' and being the sole supplier in a time of scarcity. 

Political posts are sought after because of the 'gatekeeper' position it gives incumbents, the power to control the flow of favors, tenders, and contracts. South Africa's recent history is replete with examples of such political corruption. A Swiss company recently had to fork out a substantial fine for knowingly engaging contractors, who contributed nothing to the project but enabled the multinational to secure tenders for a major electricity project. 

When I first started dabbling in reporting, I quickly discovered the power of the editor. No matter how cute, how well written, or how important an article, if the man shook his head, the story was dead. And on what basis was this decision taken? Well, who can really tell?

Tourists in Africa often arrive at a locked tourist attraction. The comment of the caretaker or bystander might well be: 'Sorry, the man with the keys is not here.' 

In the civil service, great attention was given to hierarchies. Public contact was limited to an official telephone number, a jealously guarded entry point. Orders came from above, through a series of gatekeepers, each of whom added his or her spin to the instruction. Results were, likewise, passed up the ladder. My direct supervisor once blocked what seemed to me to be a very important report. Nothing I said could persuade him to pass the information upwards. But his secretary told me when he would be out of office, and then I was entitled to send the report to his superior, with gratifying results. 

But then, oh horrors, the cell phone arrived, and everyone got hold of the boss's number. The orderly structure vanished, it seemed, overnight. Control was lost. The gatekeeper could be bypassed. Editors pandering to interests might stop a story, only to see it appear on social media or hear it on the radio. 

Suddenly power no longer vests in the ability to say 'no'. The power has devolved to the one who can say 'yes' the faster, who can facilitate the idea, the perception, the art. Larry Pardey wrote a magnificent textbook on building a wooden yacht, but publishers refused to touch it. With his wife, Lynn, they published the massive tome themselves outside the traditional publishing world, and it was a success. 

Gatekeepers are necessary to prevent anarchy, but sometimes, I believe, anarchy is necessary. The internet enables ideas to flow with a minimum of control, and fake news becomes a menace. Politicians and gatekeepers only have themselves to blame for accusations of corruption and over-control. 

The conflict of our time is between control and freedom, and technology is on the side of freedom.

Mostly.