Thesis (MPhil (Journalism))--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During Gulf War II, the American government implemented new media policies which,
due to their potentially manipulative impact, became a subject of concern to academics,
social commentators and the media alike. Key to these policies was the Department of
Defense's Embedded Media Program which allowed hundreds of selected reporters to
accompany US forces to the war front. The US openly tried to win international support
for the war, and critics felt that this policy was designed to saturate the media with
reports supporting the American point of view. This study examines these policies, the
history of war reporting as a separate news genre, as well as the fluctuating relations
between the US military and the media. Because of the US media policies, the fact that
only one South African newspaper reporter was in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom
phase of the war and South African newspapers' consequent reliance on foreign news
sources, there was a real possibility that the American position would be propagated in
the local press. To test whether this was the case, the way the war was reported on in
four leading South African newspapers is examined in terms of gatekeeping,
agendasetting and framing. Using an adapted version op Propp's fairytale analysis as a
standard, it compares the slant and content of the South African coverage to the way
four senior US government officials presented the war. Also, the coverage of the
newspapers is compared to one another. The analyses indicate that while most of the
information published by the newspapers came from American sources, the news
reports generally did not mirror the US standpoint, but instead criticised President Bush
and the war on Iraq. Neither the frequency of the newspapers, nor its cultural
background showed any correlation with the way the war was depicted by the different
newspapers. It is therefore concluded that while the US might have been successful in
their attempt to "occupy the media territory" in terms of sources cited, they were not
able to sway the opinion of the South African press in their favour. However, the US is
aware of these failures and plans to rectify the mistakes made in Gulf War II by means
of proactive global operations started in times of peace. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tydens die Tweede Golfoorlog het die Amerikaanse regering 'n nuwe mediabeleid
ingestel wat weens die potensieel manipulerende impak daarvan ’n bron van kommer
vir akademici, sosiale kommentators en die media self geword het. Sentraal tot hierdie
nuwe beleid was die Departement van Verdediging se sogenaamde "Embedded Media
Program" wat honderde uitgesoekte joernaliste toegelaat het om Amerikaanse magte na
die oorlogsfront te vergesel. Die VSA het openlik probeer om internasionale steun vir
die oorlog te werf en kritici het gevoel dat dié beleid ontwerp is om die media met
nuusberigte wat die Amerikaanse standpunt steun, te versadig. Hierdie studie ondersoek
dié beleid, die geskiedenis van oorlogsverslaggewing as afsonderlike nuus-genre, asook
die wisselvallige verhouding tussen die Amerikaanse weermag en die media. Weens die
Amerikaanse mediabeleid, die feit dat slegs een Suid-Afrikaanse koerantverslaggewer
tydens die Operation Iraqi Freedom fase van die oorlog in Irak was en Suid-Afrikaanse
koerante gevolglik van buitelandse nuusbronne afhanklik was, was daar 'n werklike
moontlikheid dat die Amerikaanse posisie deur die plaaslike pers gepropageer kon
word. Om te toets of dit die geval was, is die manier waarop in vier vooraanstaande
Suid-Afrikaanse koerante oor die oorlog berig is, ondersoek in terme van
hekwagterskap, agendastelling en raamskepping. Deur 'n aangepaste weergawe van
Propp se feëverhaalanalise as maatstaf te gebruik, is die neiging en inhoud van die Suid-
Afrikaanse dekking vergelyk met die manier waarop vier senior Amerikaanse
amptenare die oorlog voorgehou het. Die koerante se dekking is ook met mekaar
vergelyk. Die analises wys dat hoewel die meeste van die inligting wat deur die
koerante gepubliseer is van Amerikaanse bronne kom, die nuusberigte oor die algemeen
nie die Amerikaanse standpunt weerspieël nie, maar eerder krities teenoor President
Bush en die oorlog teen Irak is. Nie die frekwensie van die koerante of die kulturele
agtergrond daarvan het enige korrelasie getoon met die manier waarop die oorlog deur
die verskillende koerante uitgebeeld is nie. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat hoewel
die VSA moontlik daarin geslaag het om die "mediaterrein te okkupeer" in terme van
aangehaalde bronne, het hulle nie daarin geslaag om die Suid-Afrikaanse pers se opinie
in hul guns te swaai nie. Die VSA is egter bewus van die foute wat tydens die Tweede
Golfoorlog gemaak is en beplan om dit deur middel van proaktiewe globale operasies
in vredestyd reg te stel.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/916 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Botha, Nicolene |
| Contributors | Rabe, Lizette, Scholtz, Leopold, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 239 leaves printed on single pages, preliminary pages i-xi and numbered pages 1-227. Includes 33 figures. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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