Browsing by Author "Thompson, Reneé"
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- ItemAn exploration of the self-regulation of the media since the start of democracy in South Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Thompson, Reneé; Sesanti, Simphiwe; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of JournalismENGLISH ABSTRACT : This study examines the self-regulation of the South African media in respect of the interactions between the media and the post-apartheid government, with a specific focus on the current mode of the regulation of the press and its successes and failures in the context of South African society, focusing on the period January 2012 to December 2013, with a specific emphasis on opinion pieces, columns and news reports published during this time in the Afrikaans newspaper, Rapport. Attention directed to the self-regulation of the South African media has been driven, in recent years, by a debate generated by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party concerning the existing mode of regulation of the media, specifically relating to the Press Council of South Africa. The party has noted that the establishment of a Media Appeals Tribunal (MAT) would be in the “public interest”, as this would strengthen and support the current system that was provided by the office of the Press Ombudsman. In contrast, media practitioners have argued that this could restrict many of the freedoms that have been achieved in the new democratic South Africa. The liberal-pluralist theory was selected as an appropriate theoretical framework for this study because it is a normative theory dealing with the political role of the media. A qualitative research methodology, and specifically the research technique content analysis was applied in this study. The study found that in the post-apartheid South Africa, a robust debate has developed between the government and the media, where an “us versus them” approach still seems to exist; notwithstanding that the dynamic of the government-media relationship has changed since pre-democracy times. The study has drawn attention to various ANC motives for attempting to change the method of press regulation, also highlighting existing flaws in the media system, flaws in journalistic practices, and capitalistic tendencies due to the conglomeration and controlling of what it deems newsworthy. Thus, this study has found that although the government or state misdemeanours were the essential reasons for maintaining press freedom, the current press self-regulatory system is inadequate. True media transformation would be needed to instil ethics and achieve basic journalistic standards that are not based on the relic of the apartheid propaganda machine, and which do not operate with impunity, character assassination, racial stereotyping, or the peddling of corporate interests over the public good.