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The influence of the print media in portraying women in sport : a case study of The Independent on Saturday

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters Degree of Technology: Public Relations Management, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / During the Apartheid era in South Africa, women were marginalised from
sport. The ability to participate in sport in South Africa is intrinsically linked to
the political history of the country. Sport played a dynamic role in the
struggle against the diabolical system of apartheid in South Africa and has a
powerful role to play in the transformation and nation building of South Africa.
Women have made great strides in sport in recent years in South Africa and
the way in which media portray these sporting achievements is critically
important to dislodging negative stereotypes and overcoming discrimination
of women in sport. The unfair coverage of women’s sport displays gender
based attitudes which systematically disadvantage women’s position in
society. Women’s participation in sport has grown dramatically but despite
this growth coverage of women in sport remains inferior to that given to men
in sport across all media. Media need to acknowledge, promote and
celebrate the wealth of talent that there is to be enjoyed by society.
Newspaper reports are seldom challenged for not being accurate or truthful.
But readers have a right to truthful information and reporting, and being
trustworthy to the reader is the basis of good journalism. Media need to
collectively reflect a diversity of content to ensure public access to a variety
of viewpoints and they should expect societal intervention if the media fail to
meet professional standards. The print media has a fundamental role to play
in shaping public opinion and undoubtedly have an influence in portraying
women in sport in South Africa. This study critically analyses the influence of
the print media in portraying women in sport.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:dut/oai:localhost:10321/531
Date January 2010
CreatorsGovender, Nereshnee
ContributorsRawjee, Veena P., Ramlutchman, Nisha
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format159 p

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