Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: After a decade long multi-faceted political crisis, political parties in Zimbabwe signed the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) of 2008 following the Southern African Development Community’s
(SADC) mediated talks culminating in the formation of an inclusive government. This study
sought to investigate the political role, if any, played by the diasporic media in mediating the
Zimbabwean crisis. This research focused on diasporic media using as a case study The
Zimbabwean newspaper considering that during the research period it was circulating both in the
country and diaspora communities in Western Europe, the USA and SADC countries. Diasporic
media in Zimbabwe is a phenomenon associated with the rise of robust political opposition to the
former ruling ZANU PF regime. Accordingly, such media operated outside the purview of the
contemporary legislative and legal regime although the newspaper circulated in Zimbabwe. A
number of anti establishment news media sprouted to challenge and offer resistance in the
cyberspace and on shortwave and in print media. The Social Responsibility Theory was
employed with the aim of establishing whether or not The Zimbabwean observed the journalistic
ethics of reporting with truthfulness, accuracy, balance and objectivity. The Social Responsibility
Theory’s thrust is on de-sensationalising reportage, promotion of media ethics and self
regulation.
This study employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The research
established that The Zimbabwean newspaper played, to a larger extent, an active role in
challenging the ZANU PF-led government and gave a platform to the oppositional Movement
for Democratic Change. The conclusion arrived at in this study was that just like the state media,
which promoted the government’s propaganda, The Zimbabwean did the same for the opposition
parties in Zimbabwe. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Politieke partye in Zimbabwe het ná ’n lang politieke krisis met vele fasette die Global Political
Agreement (GPA) van 2008 geteken. Dit het gevolg op die Suid-Afrikaanse
Ontwikkelingsgemeenskap (SAOG) se mediëring wat gelei het tot die vorm van ’n inklusiewe
regering. Hierdie studie het probeer om die politieke rol, indien enigsins, van die diaspora-media
in die mediëring van die Zimbabwiese krisis te ondersoek. Die navorsing het op diaspora-media
gefokus deur ’n gevallestudie van die koerant The Zimbabwean te doen. Dié blad is gedurende
die navorsingstyd in die land sowel as onder die Zimbabwiese diaspora in Europa, die VSA en
SAOG-lande versprei. Diaspora-media in Zimbabwe is ’n fenomeen wat geassosieer word met
die opkoms van ’n robuuste politieke opposisie teen die ZANU (PF)-regime. Dié media opereer
dus buite die grense van die juridiese en wetgewende gesag van die land. ’n Verskeidenheid antiestablishment media het in die kuberruim, kortgolfradio en drukmedia ontwikkel wat beide
uitgedaag en weerstand gebied het. Die Sosiale Verantwoordelikheidsteorie is gebruik om vas te
stel of The Zimbabwean joernalistieke etiek nagekom het deur waarheidsgetrou en akkuraat,
sowel as met balans en objektiwiteit, te rapporteer. Die teorie fokus om reportage te
desensasionaliseer en om media-etiek en selfregulering te bevorder. Die studie het kwalitatiewe
en kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetodes gebruik. Die navorsing het vasgestel dat The Zimbabwean
tot ’n groot mate ’n aktiewe rol gespeel het om die ZANU (PF)-regering uit te daag en ’n
platform te bied aan die Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)-groepering. Die slotsom is
dat, net soos die staatsmedia regering-propaganda bevorder het, The Zimbabwean dit vir die
opposisiepartye in Zimbabwe gedoen het.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/85723 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Matsilele, Trust |
| Contributors | Sesanti, Simphiwe, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xii, 111 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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