Browsing by Author "Gaibie, Akeela Banu"
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- ItemProbing the degree of accuracy, bias and fairness in certain daily newspapers in South Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002-12) Gaibie, Akeela Banu; Wasserman, Herman; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Principles and standards in journalism warrant attention and this assignment attempted to offer some ethical concepts as a framework from which to evaluate journalistic conduct. The proposal was to investigate the level of moral integrity in journalism as practiced in daily newspapers using concepts proposed by specialists in the journalistic field such as accuracy, bias, and fairness. The newspapers examined in the research process were the Cape Argus, the Cape Times, Die Burger and Beeld. As a means of probing the dailies, case studies were made of reports on de Allan Boesak, the former anti-apartheid cleric accused and later convicted of theft and fraud, and Hansie Cronje, the former cricket captain of South Africa, who found himself in a similar position regarding money and the trust placed in him. The research comprised a comparative analysis of articles related to dr. Boesak in the period from 4 March 1997 to 27 March 1997, and Hansie Cronje from 8 April 2000 to 24 April 2000. These personalities were used as case studies to establish whether the four dailies differed in their portrayal of these figures as events unfolded in the public arena. The intention was to find out if there were differences in the approach to the topics covered, and if so, if it amounted to bias, inaccuracy and unfairness The results of the study showed that in the final analysis, dr. Boesak primarily enjoyed favourable coverage in the Cape Argus and Cape Times, while Hansie Cronje primarily enjoyed the same in Die Burger and Beeld. While these predispositions were rather obvious, the quality of reportage was not impaired to the extent that one could regard its news as distorted, inferior or of doubtful quality. The papers were still able to perform a high standard of professionalism in giving equal and just coverage to the topics covered, and were adept at providing a successful forum for the exchange of ideas while keeping the public informed.