In recent years groups in several cities have attempted to use online media and digital technology to help the members of marginalized communities cover where they live. These initiatives have the potential to improve mainstream coverage, which relies on official sources and typically portrays these communities as deviant. But despite their relative independence, the influence of the culture of journalism itself could potentially lead these initiatives to use routines and frames that replicate the mainstream’s coverage of the marginalized. This dissertation analyzed four case studies, one based in Austin and three in Chicago, to examine this paradox. It investigated how the schools and nonprofits that maintain these initiatives balance participation with professionalism, and how participants relate to other residents, institutions, and officials within their communities and in other communities. It explored the limits of citizen journalism’s attempts to supplement and improve upon professional journalism. These cases were considered in terms of Bourdieu’s concept of the journalistic field, Castells’ network society, and Habermas’ public sphere. This theoretical framework is concerned with whose voices are heard in public discourse and in the culture overall. As Castells makes clear, access to the Internet and facility with online communication is a requirement for participation in public life, including journalism. But as Bourdieu argues, there are cultural aspects as well to the field of journalism that can limit such participation. Each initiative faced a tradeoff between adhering to traditional journalistic practices and standards and attracting participation from members of a community. A combination of elements of journalism culture (having editors and training), community media culture (advocating for communities, covering ongoing issues alongside events), and digital culture (allowing participants freedom to contribute in multiple ways, interaction) seems the most effective way to improve coverage of marginalized communities. Such a mixture would aid the creation of bonding social capital within a community and bridging social capital across communities, and presents an opportunity for the marginalized to use their cultural capital to gain social capital. Yet this hybrid model of journalism is resisted by the societal factors that influence mainstream journalism. / text

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Every year, the South African President delivers a State of the Nation Address. This speech provides him with the opportunity to raise his opinion on the current state of affairs in the country. As can be expected, the country's different media channels then report extensively on the speech. These reports can, however, be regarded as much more than simple commentaries on the speech – they are in fact, reframed versions of the speech that affect and shape the opinions and ideologies of their readers. These media channels also provide the perfect vehicles through which links can be established between citizens to support their belief that they form part of an established community (Bielsa and Bassnett 2009:33). Wherever communication is present or necessary, it is impossible to escape the process or effect of framing, as framing implies “‘how speakers mean what they say’” (Tannen and Wallat, 1993:60; in Baker, 2006:105). Therefore, the presence and effects of framing should not be ignored, instead, translation scholars should be aware of framing and how this process affects translated texts. Mona Baker introduced the idea that the translated and reformulated narratives that we are exposed to constitute the everyday stories that shape the way we perceive reality (Baker 2006:3). By studying these translated versions of the speech one can gain insight into the ideologies of the intended target readership (Bielsa and Bassnett 2009:10). In the ever-growing field of Translation Studies it is important to focus on finding an approach that provides enough freedom for scholars to elaborate on existing approaches and include new findings and results. This thesis focuses on the narrative approach and explores Baker's views by taking a deeper look at rewritten versions of the SONA in the shape of newspaper articles. It also suggests that this approach has the potential to provide scholars with a much-needed framework. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Elke jaar gee die President van Suid-Afrika ʼn staatsrede waarin hy sy mening lug oor die huidige stand van sake in die land. Dit is te verwagte dat die verskillende mediakanale dan breedvoerig oor hierdie toespraak verslag lewer. Hierdie verslae is egter veel meer as eenvoudige kommentaar op die President se toespraak, hulle is in effek, hergekonstrueerde weergawes van die toespraak, wat sodoende deel van ʼn nuwe raamwerk uitmaak – ʼn raamwerk wat ʼn belangrike rol speel in die vorming van lesers se menings en ideologieë. Hierdie mediakanale bied ook die perfekte mediums om kommunikasie tussen die onderskeie lede van ʼn gemeenskap in werking te stel sodat hulle sal glo dat hulle deel vorm van ʼn gevestigde gemeenskap (Bielsa en Bassnett 2009:33). Waar kommunikasie ter sprake is, is dit onmoontlik om die proses van herskrywing te vermy, aangesien die plasing van inligting in ʼn nuwe raam verwant is aan “‘hoe sprekers bedoel wat hulle sê’” (Tannen en Wallat, 1993:60; in Baker, 2006:105). Dus moet die effek van herskrywing nie onderskat word nie; inteendeel, vertalers moet bewus wees van die implikasies daarvan en hoe dit vertaalde tekste beïnvloed. Mona Baker het vorendag gekom met die idee dat die manier waarop ons realiteit waarneem, beïnvloed word deur die vertaalde en herskryfde narratiewe waaraan ons elke dag blootgestel word (2006:3). Vertalings word spesifiek geskep met die doellesers in gedagte, daarom kan verdere insig oor die ideologieë van die doellesers verkry word deur hierdie vertalings verder te bestudeer (Bielsa en Bassnett 2009:10). In die steeds groeiende veld van vertaalteorie, is dit belangrik om ʼn benadering te vind wat kenners genoeg vryheid toelaat om bestaande teorieë uit te brei en nuwe resultate en bevindings tot die vertaalwetenskap te kan byvoeg. Hierdie studie bestudeer dus Baker se argumente en die impak van ʼn narratiewe benadering op vertaalteorie deur te fokus op herskrywings van die staatsrede in die vorm van koerantberigte. Dit suggereer ook dat hierdie narratiewe benadering van herskrywing deur inligting binne ʼn nuwe raam te plaas, die potensiaal het om aan wetenskaplikes ʼn nuwe teoretiese ondersoekbasis te bied.