Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since South Africa’s transition from a nationalistic state to a democracy in 1994, debates
about the media’s role have intensified as the challenges and complexities of the South
African society unfolded. In this debate, which mainly played out between the
government and the media, the liberal theory and the developmental theory were used
as the two main normative positions from which to contest the media’s role. As
normative theories they describe the ideal role of the press within societal systems and
thus fall within the functionalist paradigm.
Historically, the liberal approach was seen as the accepted normative framework for the
media within a democracy to protect that very democracy. The liberal consensus
adopted by the post-apartheid media therefore came as no surprise. However, the
optimism initially experienced regarding the independence of the new, liberal media, its
professionalisation and economic restructuring, is gradually being challenged by the
critical perspective. This perspective questions the extent of transformation in a public
sphere where entrance is still restricted by class structures.
The argument of this paper is that although the above changes to the media landscape
are recognised as important, they do not account for issues of class and how the poor,
the spaces they live in and the factors impacting on their lives, are framed by the media.
This paper is presented as a normative undertaking and presents civic journalism as
alternative normative framework. It moves from the premise that the representations
afforded to the poor in die media are being hampered by the individualistic aims of the
Western, liberal, journalistic tradition.
The argument is further that the use of a community-driven approach should lead to
broader representation of the poor in the media and the inclusion of this currently
marginalised group in the public sphere. Reframing, one of the most important methods
of civic journalism, is singled out to explore the possibility of applying civic journalism to
the South African context. The motivation for this paper is the belief that the need exists
for a greater plurality of voices and discourses. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert Suid-Afrika in 1994 beweeg het van ’n nasionalistiese staat na ’n demokrasie, het
die debat oor die rol van die media algaande verdiep namate die uitdagings en
kompleksiteite van die Suid-Afrikaanse situasie ontvou het. In die debat tussen die postapartheid
media en die regering was die twee normatiewe posisies van waar die media
se rol by uitstek betwis is, die libertynse en ontwikkelingsteorie. As normatiewe teorieë
wat die ideale rol van die pers binne samelewingsisteme verwoord, val dit binne die
funksionalistiese paradigma.
Histories word die liberale benadering gesien as die vanselfsprekende roete wat ’n media
binne ’n demokrasie moet volg om daardie demokrasie te beskerm. Die liberale
konsensus van die post-apartheid media was in die lig hiervan geen verrassing nie. Maar
die optimisme wat aanvanklik ervaar is oor die onafhanklike, liberale media, sy
professionalisering en ekonomiese herstrukturering, word algaande uitgedaag deur ’n
kritiese perspektief. Hierdie perspektief bevraagteken die waarde van ’n
getransformeerde media waar toelating tot die openbare sfeer steeds deur klasstrukture
gereguleer word.
Alhoewel die bogenoemde erken word as belangrike veranderinge, is die argument dat
die liberale normatiewe paradigma nie genoeg was om kwessies van klas te verreken en
hoe armes, die kwessies wat hulle lewens beïnvloed en die ruimtes waarin hulle ’n
bestaan maak, deur die media beraam word nie. Hierdie werkstuk is ’n normatiewe
onderneming wat burgerlike joernalistiek as normatiewe raamwerk wil voorstel. Die
uitgangspunt is dat representasie van armes in die media deur die individualistiese
doelstellings van die Westerse, liberale joernalistieke tradisie beperk word.
Die argument is verder dat die toepassing van ’n gemeenskapsgerigte benadering
behoort te lei tot ’n breër representasie van armes en die insluiting van dié tans
gemarginaliseerde gemeenskappe by die openbare sfeer. Herberaming, een van die
belangrikste metodes van burgerlike joernalistiek, word uitgesonder om die
toepassingsmoontlikheid van burgerlike joernalistiek as alternatief te ondersoek. Die
motivering vir die werkstuk is die oortuiging dat daar in die Suid-Afrikaanse
mediakonteks ’n behoefte bestaan aan ’n groter diversiteit van stemme en diskoerse.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/17252 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Truter, Charlene |
| Contributors | Wasserman, Herman, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | Afrikaans |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 52 leaves |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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