The media today are under pressure from various fronts including governments, businesses as well as cultural interests. In the developed world, this pressure that led to the emergence of a new form of journalism that puts the demands of the market at the forefront. This commercial oriented journalism gives priority to articles that attract mass audiences like entertainment while it downplays information that promotes debates that is necessary for citizens to be able to have a voice on the issues that affect them. And since participation and discussion are cornerstones of a democratic process, market-driven journalism undermines democracy because it narrows down the forum for debate. As a result, active citizens are turned into passive observers in society. Although several studies about this phenomenon have been done in the western world, the same is happening in Africa because the media face similar challenges as in the West; challenges of globalisation and media conglomeration facilitated by the rapid advancing technology. This study, which is informed by political economy and market-driven journalism theories, notes that the media in Uganda are also faced with these challenges. The study is focused on Uganda’s only independent newspaper, The Monitor. The findings indicate that market-driven journalism is taking root at the expense of journalism that promotes citizenship and debate such as political reporting and opinions. For example, there has been an increase of entertainment, sports and supplement articles in The Monitor as compared to declining political reporting and opinions. More so, investigative reporting has dwindled over the years at the expense of increasing use of press releases. This is because entertainment and sports articles can attract big audiences that the newspaper needs to sell to advertisers. Advertisers are important because they provide financial support to the newspaper. However, in a country where democracy is in its formative stages, public information is necessary not only for citizens to make informed decisions but also to spur economic as well as social development.

Text in Afrikaans / Die navorsingsonderwerp van hierdie proefskrif is ondersoekende joernalistiek en die moontlike of waarskynlike invloed wat die spesifieke joernalistieke praktyk op die proses van sosiale verandering kan uitoefen. Daar word van die aanname uitgegaan dat koerantberigte weens ondersoekende joernalistiek in sommige gevalle kan lei tot die bewusmaking van ongeregtighede en/of onregmatige dade in die samelewing en dat die joernalistieke praktyk 'n bydraende faktor of soms 'n katalisator tot optredes van owerhede en uiteindelik sosiale verandering kan wees. Om die aanname toe te lig, word eerstens gekyk na die betekenis van sosiale verandering. Antwoorde word onder meer gesoek op vrae soos: (i) Wat is sosiale verandering? en (ii) Wat is die invloed van die media op sosiale verandering? Tweedens word daar gekyk na wat ondersoekende joernalistiek behels en hoe dit verskil van veral die konvensionele joernalistieke praktyk. Derdens word 'n profiel van Vrye Weekblad gegee ten einde die koerant as gevallestudie te regverdig. Vierdens word 'n model vir die kwalitatiewe inhoudsontleding van voorbeelde van ondersoekende joernalistiek geformuleer. Vyfdens word die model empiries getoets op ondersoeke wat deur Vrye Weekblad gedoen is. Laastens word gepoog om die teoretiese perspektiewe oor sosiale verandering en die invloed van die media te versoen met die empiriese ontledings van die voorbeelde van ondersoekende joernalistiek in Vrye Weekblad. / The research topic of this thesis is investigative journalism and the possible or probable influence that this specific journalistic practice may have on the process of social change. The study proceeds from the assumption that investigative newspaper reports can in some instances lead to an awareness of injustices and/or illegal actions in society. This form of journalistic practice could therefore be a contributing factor, and in some cases, a catalyst for government action and ultimately social change. To elaborate on this assumption, attention is firstly given to the meaning of social change. In this respect answers to the following questions are sought: (i) What is social change? and (ii) What is the influence of the media on social change? Secondly, attention is given to the characteristics of investigative journalism and how this practice differs from conventional journalism. Thirdly a profile of Vrye Weekblad is offered in order to justify the case study. Fourthly a model for the qualitative content analysis of instances of investigative journalism is formulated. Fifthly this model is tested empirically on investigations undertaken by Vrye Weekblad. Finally an attempt is made to reconcile the theoretical perspectives on social change and the influence of the media with the empirical analyses of investigative journalism in Vrye Weekblad. / Communication Science / D. Litt et Phil. (Kommunikasiekunde)

This study investigates HIV/AIDS coverage in selected South African newspapers. The rationale for the study hinges on the fact that the media’s role in informing society about social issues, such as HIV/AIDS, is of paramount importance. The study adopted, principally, the content analysis method and, as a supplement, discourse analysis. Four daily newspapers were content-analysed, namely: Daily Dispatch, Daily Sun, Sowetan and The Star. A total of 288 editions of newspapers, spanning a period of twelve months (January to December 2010) were sampled. This study is informed by agenda setting theory. Discourse analysis was used to determine the compliance of these newspapers to media guides on the use of appropriate language or terminologies. The tone, sentence structures used when disseminating HIV/AIDS stories were also examined. The results revealed that HIV/AIDS coverage by these newspapers is reasonable even though the prominence given to HIV/AIDS issues is dissatisfactory in terms of placement on the page, headline font-size and number of paragraphs devoted to HIV/AIDS stories. 5.0% of HIV/AIDS-oriented stories were placed on the front page; 93.8% on the inside pages while 1.3% were placed on the back pages. It was also found that news and feature were used equally to disseminate HIV/AIDS issues. These genres constituted 50% each. On the other hand, the results revealed a statistically non-significant relationship between the newspapers and categories; that is: (25.09 2   , p  0.122  0.05 ). Results further revealed that these newspapers used appropriate terminology and value-neutral language in their stories. The tone of the messages was found to be positive and encouraging.

Concentration of media ownership in the United States has increased throughout the 20th century and threatens to dilute competition between press outlets and to reduce the quality of news coverage available to the audience as a result. Several scholars have identified mass advertising as a major culprit in this concentration as well as in the resulting superficiality of news coverage. In the 1940s, a group of scholars formed the Commission on Freedom of the Press (COFOP) to discuss the perceived problem of irresponsible media and to prescribe remedies in the form of greater emphasis on the issues of the day and greater access to the press for individuals and groups not normally allowed a voice. Since COFOP published its recommendations, some scholars have argued that the press has adopted the "social responsibility" doctrine, thus replacing libertarianism. Others argue that an advertising model has become the natural heir to libertarianism in the press. / Master of Arts

Wong Nga Lai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-104). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter One --- An Introduction / Chapter 1.1 --- Foreword: Fermat's Last Theorem --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Introduction --- p.3 / Chapter Chapter Two --- Literature Review / Chapter 2.1 --- News Diffusion Theory --- p.7 / Chapter - --- Personal Importance / Chapter - --- Emotional Response and Parasocial Interaction / Chapter 2.2 --- Comparing The First Sources of News Diffusion --- p.14 / Chapter - --- Perceived Salience / Chapter - --- Credibility / Chapter - --- Other Perception Differences / Chapter - --- News Diffusion and the Use of the Internet / Chapter 2.3 --- Possible Internet Uses in News Diffusion --- p.21 / Chapter - --- The Internet As a Personal Medium / Chapter - --- The Internet As an Information Source / Chapter - --- Summary / Chapter Chapter Three --- Methodology / Chapter 3.1 --- Pre-survey Preparations --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2 --- Operationalization and Measurement of Variables --- p.36 / Chapter Chapter Four --- Results and Discussion / Chapter 4.1 --- Rate of Diffusion --- p.42 / Chapter - --- September 11: A stunning high diffusion rate / Chapter - --- Leung-Fu Engagement: A romance known to 90% of a population / Chapter 4.2 --- Results and Discussion --- p.48 / Chapter H1:- --- September 11: Television was the predominated source / Chapter - --- Leung-Fu Engagement: Newspaper was the predominant source / Chapter H2:- --- September 11: High personal importance evoked interpersonal communication / Chapter - --- Leung-Fu Engagement: Personal importance determined extent of diffusion / Chapter - --- Active early knowers were key players in diffusion / Chapter H3a:- --- September 11: Upset people were more active in telling others / Chapter H3b:- --- Leung-Fu Engagement: No indication of para-social interaction / Chapter H4:- --- September 11: Initial sources differentin perceived credibility / Chapter - --- Leung-Fu Engagement: Different media different in perceived salience / Chapter H5& H6: --- The news diffusion function of the Internet / Chapter 4.3 --- Summary of Results --- p.75 / Chapter Chapter Five --- Conclusion / Chapter 5.1 --- Discussion of Findings --- p.80 / Chapter 5.2 --- Discussion of the Use of the Internet in News --- p.86 / Diffusion / Chapter - --- The Internet as an additional information source / Chapter - --- The Internet as a mediated personal channel / Chapter - --- The Internet as an initial source / Chapter - --- Enhancement of Internet Communication by 3G technologies / Chapter 5.3 --- Final Words --- p.92 / Reference --- p.96 / "Appendix 1 Questionnaire for ""September11""" / "Appendix 2 Questionnaire for ""Leung-Fu Engagement"""

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This treatise is a study of media-related articles in the South African press February 1996 to April 1999. Through a discourse analysis approach, the treatise identifies two main discourses relating to normative press models: the watchdog discourse and the nation-building discourse. It is argued that the watchdog discourse largely resembles classical libertarian press ideals, while the nation-building discourse resembles social responsibility ideals. The analysis contains numerous examples of the tensions between the government and the newspaper industry in terms of normative press models. Finally, the treatise challenges the assumed tensions that exist between nation-building and watchdog discourses, and suggests communitarianism as an ideology which upholds the crucial interests of both the press and the government. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

This thesis explores the origins, purposes, journalistic practices and outcomes of two award-winning projects namely Broken Homes and Slumlords done by Daily Dispatch's Gcina Ntsaluba in 2009. The projects were described by the paper as investigative journalism but interestingly the original idea came from grassroots driven strategies and they were done by adopting alternative news gathering strategies and immersion in the ordinary people, inspired by public journalism. This thesis follows Christians et al's (2009) normative theoretical framework of press roles summarised as the monitorial, facilitative, collaborative and radical roles. It provides normative prescriptions of public and investigative journalism, development and radical journalism. It then draws on sociological theoretical critiques in order to provide an analytical overview of the complex matrix of political, economic and media contexts which influenced the origins, purposes, journalistic practices and outcomes of the two projects. Drawing on a critical realist case study design, the thesis goes on to provide a narrative account of the two projects based on the in-depth interviews exploring the editorial staffs ideas on the origins, purposes, journalistic practices and outcomes of the projects and a qualitative content/thematic analysis of the journalistic texts related to the projects. This primary data is then critically evaluated against normative theories of press performance, especially Nip's (2008) key practices and Haas's (2007) 'public philosophy' of public journalism. It is also evaluated against a normative framework of what constitutes "good investigative journalism" based on Ettema and Glasser (1998), Waisbord (2000) among others. Protess et al 1991's classic mobilisation model is used to interrogate the projects' outcomes. The thesis established that there was a close connection of the monitorial (investigative journalism), facilitative (public journalism) and radical (tabloid journalism) roles at the paper which shows that the roles are not mutually exclusive. The two projects however fell short of the collaborative role (development journalism) which can, partly, be attributed to the adversarial nature of the relationship between the state and the media. The Daily Dispatch also failed to activate a platform for deliberation and public problem solving. There might thus be more scope in adopting a 'facilitative monitorial role' which would not only expose those who violate other people's human rights, corrupt people and institutions that are not performing well. Instead it will also activate civic life and facilitate 'collaboration' between government and the publics in problem solving.

This research study aimed to examine how the identity of ' Muslim' people is constructed in British print media today, and whether or not these constructions promote or undermine a xeno-racist project. The research draws on the idea that identity is partly constructed through representation, with an emphasis on how language can be used to construct and position people in different ways. Using a social constructionist paradigm, the study further considers the role that print media has in providing a discursive field within which the construction and reproduction of racist attitudes and ideologies in contemporary global society can take place. Sixty-five newspaper articles were selected from the online archives of British newspapers, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph using systematic random sampling. These were analysed using the six stages of Foucauldian discourse analysis outlined by Carla Willig. To provide a more fruitful account, the analysis also incorporated the methods of Potter and Wetherell whose focus is on the function of discourse, as well as van Langenhove and Harre's focus on subject positioning, and Parker's use of Foucauldian analysis which looks at power distributions. The analysis revealed that Muslims are discursively constructed as a direct politicised or terror threat, often drawing on discourses of sharia law, and Muslim-Christian relationships. They are also constructed as a cultural threat, drawing on discourses of isolation, oppressed women, the veil/headscarf, identity, visibility and integration. The analysis also showed some variation in constructions, and these extended from the racialization of Muslims to showing the compatibility between Islamic and western values. This study discusses the form these different constructions take and the possible implications these constructions might have in contributing toward a prejudiced and largely negative image of Islam and Muslims.

MA (English) / Department of English / The study analysed the language used by The Herald and Daily News journalists to report on the marriage conflict between the former Prime Minister Morgan Richard Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe and Ms Locardia Karimatsenga. The Herald is a state-owned newspaper and Daily News is a privately-owned newspaper. An analysis of the marriage conflict enabled readers, in a magnified way, to see how ideological differences between the public and private media in Zimbabwe are represented. The study examined the similarities and/or differences in the manner in which the marriage conflict was represented in both papers. The study also examined the language used in the headlines, established the sources used and evaluated the ideological stances of the two newspapers. The study utilised the case study design. The researcher only focused on articles which were published during the month when the former Prime Minister married Ms Elizabeth Macheka in September 2012. It was also the month when the media published many articles about the marriage saga. Seventeen articles were analysed, eleven from The Herald and six from the Daily News. Framing and Representation theories were deemed appropriate to analyse the articles. Critical Discourse Analysis and semiotic analysis were used to analyse the selected articles and visuals which accompanied them. The findings of the study revealed that The Herald reports tended to be biased against the Prime Minister, while the Daily News was more objective in its use of language.