Browsing by Author "Powell, Anel Elaine"
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- ItemThe South African press as watchdog or lapdog : a content analysis of press coverage of a health policy May 1997-February 1998(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1998-12) Powell, Anel Elaine; Kotze, H. J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.ENGLISH SUMMARY: The debate around the role of a critical media in South Africa has emerged from growing government criticism of media coverage. The general perception appears to be that the need for a vigilant press has lapsed since the election of a democratic government. In 1994, Thabo Mbeki stated that "as the liberation leaders are now in government, there is no need for a watchdog press". This exploratory study aims to assess the nature of newspaper coverage of the government. This assessment is limited to coverage by the Cape Times, Die Burger and Sowetan of Dr Zuma's Medical, Dental and Supplementary Health Service Professions Bill. The May 1997 to January 1998 time frame of the study corresponds with the health policy's development from a clause in the White paper to its promulgation as an Act. Besides assessing the nature of newspaper coverage, i.e. whether coverage is positive, negative, neutral or balanced, two main propositions are suggested. The first proposition is that the ideological stance of a newspaper may influence newspaper coverage of government policy. The second proposition suggests that media ownership will influence newspaper coverage of government policy. The quiet revolution of media ownership is expected to stimulate ideological shifts that may affect the nature of newspaper coverage. As the focus of the study falls on the content of printed media, namely newspapers, content analysis constitutes the research design. Both the manifest and latent contents of the newspaper articles are analyzed and the results are interpreted in relation to the three propositions. The findings suggest that while newspaper coverage of the health policy is generally critical, it is not overly critical. Positive, neutral and balanced articles equalize negative coverage. Newspaper coverage serves as an important indicator of the role that the newspaper is assuming in relation to the government. Although the results of this analysis are limited to coverage of one aspect of government policy by the Cape Times, Die Burger and \ Sowetan, one may extrapolate about the theoretical approach being adopted. Coverage of the three newspapers indicate a combination of the libertarian and development approaches to media/society relations. The developmental media approach is not being espoused by any of the three newspapers. It appears as if the sampled newspapers are fulfilling their watchdog roles by reporting critically on government policies. These results bode well for the press' role in the consolidation of South Africa's democracy.