Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: When South African President Thabo Mbeki began doubting that HIV was the cause of
AIDS in the late 1990s, failed to provide AIDS medication and stalled its introduction,
openly supported HIV pseudoscientists and doubted HIV statistics, one of the most
widely reported debates in the country’s history emerged.
When two independent 2008 studies found that the death of approximately 330 000 South
Africans could have been prevented between 1999 and 2007 if President Mbeki’s HIV
policy made provision for AIDS medication, the AIDS debate was re-introduced, and it
was these findings that provided the motivation for this study. The purpose of this study
was to provide a historical perspective on HIV reporting in the media during Mbeki’s
presidency in order to answer how the media reflected and reported on his HIV policy,
and also to provide possible reasons for the way the media reported on the matter.
Research has shown that the government (particularly President Mbeki and his health
ministers) and AIDS social movement organisations (particularly the Treatment Action
Campaign [TAC]) were the main actors framing the AIDS epidemic in South Africa.
Thus, this study examined the media’s HIV trail in reporting on these actors’ responses
and counter-responses by means of content analysis. Qualitative analysis, in the form of
questionnaires sent to health journalists who reported on HIV during this period, was
completed in order to provide the possible reasons for the media’s reporting style.
During the content analysis it was found that the media reporting was mostly positive
towards the TAC and mostly critical towards Mbeki and his government, and the results
of the questionnaires verified this, but also provided reasons why the media were mostly
critical of Mbeki and his government. One principal reason was that the government’s
policies on HIV were so blatantly contrary to scientific evidence and medically unethical
that it was the media’s duty to fulfil their watchdog and surveillance role. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toe die Suid-Afrikaanse president, Thabo Mbeki, in die laat jare negentig begin het om
die oorsaak van VIGS in twyfel te trek, daarin misluk het om VIGS-medikasie te verskaf
en produksie daarvan vertraag het, en openlik MIV-pseudowetenskaplikes ondersteun het
en MIV-statistiek bevraagteken het, het ’n debat met moontlik van dié wydste
nuusdekking in die geskiedenis van die land posgevat.
Die VIGS-debat het weer op die voorgrond beland nadat twee onafhanklike studies in
2008 bevind het sowat 330 000 Suid-Afrikaners se dood kon tussen 1999 en 2007 vermy
gewees het indien president Mbeki se MIV-beleid voorsiening gemaak het vir die
verskaffing van VIGS-medikasie. Hierdie bevindinge het die motivering vir die studie
verskaf. Die doel van hierdie studie was om ’n historiese perspektief van die
mediadekking van MIV tydens Mbeki se presidentskap te verskaf om sodoende vas te
stel hoe die media die debat oor Mbeki se MIV-beleid weerspieël het, maar ook om die
redes te bepaal vir die manier waarop die media oor die kwessie berig het.
Navorsing het getoon die regering (spesifiek president Mbeki en sy gesondheidsministers)
en aktivistegroepe (spesifiek die Treatment Action Campaign [TAC]) was die
hoofkarakters betrokke by die fokussering van die VIGS-epidemie in Suid-Afrika. Dus
het hierdie studie probeer om die media se MIV-spore met betrekking tot beriggewing
oor hierdie akteurs se stellings en reaksies deur middel van inhoudanalise te bestudeer.
Kwalitatiewe analise in die vorm van vraelyste wat aan gesondheidsjoernaliste gestuur is
wat in hierdie tydperk beriggewing oor MIV gedoen het, is gebruik om moontlike redes
te verskaf vir die manier van beriggewing.
Tydens die inhoudanalise is bevind dat mediadekking meestal positief teenoor die TAC
was en meestal negatief teenoor Mbeki en sy regering. Die resultate van die vraelyste het
dít bevestig, en redes verskaf waarom die media meestal krities was teenoor Mbeki en sy
regering. Een van die vernaamste redes was dat die regering se beleidsrigtings met betrekking tot MIV so blatant teen wetenskaplike bewyse gekant was en boonop medies
oneties was, dat dit juis die media se plig was om die rol van waghond te speel.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/80298 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Le Roux, Conette |
| Contributors | Claassen, George, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Format | 98 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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