This study sought to investigate the practices of citizen journalists in the Iindaba Ziyafika project. The objectives of the research were to explore the evolving practices of citizen journalism in Grahamstown and to extrapolate how citizen journalists are securing a discursive space in relationship to conventional journalism. The study investigated whether the citizen journalists based at Grocotts Mail and Radio Grahamstown are developing practices and patterns that can be distinguished from the practices of conventional journalism. It also evaluated whether the content that is produced by citizen journalists differs from the content that is produced by professional journalists, so that it can be understood as "alternative" and as promoting engaged citizenship. A sub goal was also to explore whether citizen journalism does enable the practice of citizenship through expanding the public sphere. The findings of the research are that in the Iindaba Ziyafika project, citizen journalists see news as a process and not as a series of news events. This is clear departure from event-based news conceptualisation associated with mainstream journalism. They view news as unfolding social processes, allowing citizen journalists to question the factors which would have precipitated the event and investigate the causal factors of particular phenomena. The research also reveals that citizen journalists in the project are engaging in pro-am journalism. Part of the practice of citizen journalists involves a very significant amount of collaboration between professional journalists and citizen journalists. The collaboration is in the production of content and in the presentation of radio broadcasts. Part of the findings of the study are that journalists in the Iindaba Ziyafika project work in different mediums and this calls for them to acquire the competencies of the different mediums. The same citizen journalists produce content for print, radio and for online media. The diction used in the stories published by citizen journalists is couched in struggle and revolutionary language which seems to pit the community against the authorities. The citizen journalists also make use of every daily language in their radio broadcasts and borrow from their cultural expression. This they do through populist methods. The citizen journalists have also integrated communication brokering as part and parcel of their practice. This is because the citizen journalists have also made it their mandate to enable the flow of information between the residents and the local authority. In terms of sourcing there is a deliberate stance to include those who are not ordinarily given a voice in the mainstream media. Women and the poor appear frequently in stories as sources and this is a different scenario from that prevalent in mainstream journalism which frequently covers the rich and the powerful. The citizen journalists in the Iindaba Ziyafika project have also borrowed practices from professional journalism and this has been integrated into their daily practice. This includes following strategic rituals of journalism objectivity and balance.

Text in English / Social media has taken the world by storm and keeps on evolving. This evolution poses a threat as well as an opportunity to mankind, to the livelihoods of hordes of people employed in the media industry. It also presents a unique opportunity to chart new waters. This study explores the convergence and divergence of new media and traditional media. This divergence and convergence, if properly understood, will help in understanding the future of traditional media, and thus mitigate the threats posed by the ever evolving social media and communication technologies. This study provided a test case on the legitimacy of traditional media in as much as the ‘public interest and purveyor of public opinion’ clause of the media is concerned. The media cannot afford to live by Marx doctrine of “he who owns the means of production also controls the production of ideas in that epoch’. If it is going to be a driver and custodian of democracy in a new emerging Africa, the media has a responsibility to be the voice of the voiceless. Social media plugs the gap that traditional media leaves. Thus, the two can thus complement each other, rather than compete with each other within the same space. The population in Africa is becoming younger and younger and by extension they are moving away from traditional media towards digital and social media. There is an opportunity to be seized there. This study established that the traditional media has entrenched ways of looking at news, which are normally divergent from the way that the general populace, as captured in social media does. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication Science)

[ES] En el momento en que decidí dedicarme académicamente al mundo de la comunicación empecé a ser consciente del poder que el ámbito de la información y la comunicación poseen a diferentes niveles. En aquel momento las tecnologías empezaban a despuntar en su gran evolución y revolución que vivimos a día de hoy, pero todavía no éramos conscientes, al menos del todo, de los resultados que pueden provocar determinadas informaciones poco rigurosas, más todavía, debido a su gran difusión y elevadas posibilidades de transmisión a gran velocidad a día de hoy. Dentro de esta tesis se analiza la evolución y revolución que las tecnologías digitales de la información y la comunicación han aportado al ámbito de los medios y como han logrado cambiar de paradigma. Se analiza como la ciudadanía cambia su rol de ser un agente pasivo que recibe informaciones a ser activo y con responsabilidades al poder ser también creador y transmisor de informaciones. Se realiza un análisis de las técnicas y estrategias que utilizan los profesionales de los medios de comunicación en el tratamiento de los hechos y datos para poder transformarlos en informaciones y como muchas veces este tratamiento se utiliza con intereses ocultos para favorecer objetivos políticos, económicos o bien de opinión social. Se concluye en esta tesis con una propuesta de currículum docente para poder llevar a cabo una educación en información y comunicación que nos ayude a facilitar el aprendizaje hacia una futura ciudadanía para que posea un pensamiento crítico ante cualquier tipo de información que reciba desde cualquier tipo de medio de comunicación y transmisión de la información. / [CA] En el moment en què vaig decidir dedicar-me acadèmicament al món de la comunicació vaig començar a ser conscient del poder que l'àmbit de la informació i la comunicació posseeixen a diferents nivells. En aquell moment les tecnologies començaven a despuntar en la seva gran evolució i revolució que vivim avui dia, però encara no érem conscients, almenys del tot, dels resultats que poden provocar determinades informacions poc rigoroses, més encara, a causa de la seva gran difusió i elevades possibilitats de transmissió a gran velocitat avui dia. Dins d'aquesta tesi s'analitza l'evolució i revolució que les noves tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació han aportat a l'àmbit dels mitjans i com han aconseguit canviar de paradigma. S'analitza com la ciutadania canvia el seu rol de ser un agent passiu que rep informacions a ser actiu i amb responsabilitats en poder ser també creador i transmissor d'informacions. Es realitza una anàlisi de les tècniques i estratègies que utilitzen els professionals dels mitjans de comunicació en el tractament dels fets i dades per a poder transformar-los en informacions i com moltes vegades aquest tractament s'utilitza amb interessos ocults per a afavorir objectius polítics, econòmics o bé d'opinió social. Aquesta tesi conclou amb una proposta de currículum docent per a poder dur a terme una educació en informació i comunicació que ens ajudi a facilitar l'aprenentatge cap a una futura ciutadania perquè posseeixi un pensament crític davant qualsevol mena d'informació que rebi des de qualsevol mena de mitjà de comunicació i transmissió de la informació. / [EN] When I decided to dedicate myself academically to the world of communication, I began to be aware of the power that the field of information and communication has at different levels. At that time, technologies were still to emerge in their great evolution and revolution that we are living today, but we were not yet aware, at least not fully, of the results certain less rigorous information can cause, even more so, due to its wide dissemination and high possibilities of transmission at high speed today. This thesis analyzes the evolution and revolution that the new information and communication technologies have brought to the media and how they have changed the paradigm. It analyzes how citizens change their role from being passive agents who receive information to being active and with responsibilities as they can also be creators and transmitters of information. An analysis is made of the techniques and strategies used by media professionals in the treatment of facts and data in order to transform them into information and how this treatment is often used with hidden interests to favor political, economic or social opinion objectives. This thesis concludes with a proposal for a teaching curriculum in order to carry out an education in information and communication that helps us to facilitate learning towards a future citizenry that possesses critical thinking in the face of any type of information received from any type of media and information transmission. / Climent Ferrer, JJ. (2022). Educación en información comunicación: análisis y propuesta para capacitar el consumo responsable de la información [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/185505 / TESIS