Audience trust in journalism: an exploratory case study of the youth in Philippi East
Date
2024-12
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Publisher
Stellenbosch University
Abstract
The South African mainstream media has been criticised for catering to the elite audience to generate revenue while neglecting the realities of the citizens who live in townships and informal settlements. It has been asserted that many black, poor young South Africans do not recognise the stories of their communities in the mainstream news media. This study explored the experiences of the youth between the ages of 18 to 35 years in Philippi East. The study examined whether these youths find the news content of the South African mainstream media relevant to their lived realities, and if they feel like they are represented in the news content. The researcher conducted a thorough literature review looking at the different aspects of trust in journalism, the South African media landscape, the role of the South African news media, and criticism of the South African news media. The researcher utilised the folk theory of trust in journalism, which refers to the popular existing beliefs that the audience or the public have about journalism, and the place theory as this study's theoretical points of departure. The study employed the qualitative exploratory case study design to gain an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of these youth and collected data using semi-structured focus group interviews and individual interviews. The non-probability sampling procedure was employed to recruit and select participants. The researcher used inductive thematic analysis to analyse the data collected. The study found that the youth in Philippi East trust the news media as an institution that educates and informs the public about things happening around the world and in their communities. However, the Philippi East youth feel like they are not well represented in the news content of the South African mainstream media because the media only focuses on the mass shootings and seasonal floods that occur in Philippi East and excludes the art and educational events hosted in this community. In addition, these youth expressed confidence and satisfaction with the accuracy of the stories shown on the news about Philippi East. Finally, the study found that the youth in Philippi East expressed different views on whether they find the news content relevant to their lived realities. While some said they find the news content of the South African mainstream media relevant to their lived realities some said they find the news content irrelevant to their experiences claiming that the news media focuses on stories of rich people, and political content and neglects the realities of township residents.