Sosiale verantwoordelikheid, toegang tot inligting, en nuusmodelle in Suid-Afrika: ’n gevallestudie
Date
2023-12
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: The New York Times
het in 2011 die eerste digitale publikasie geword wat lesers gevra het
om vir inhoud te betaal. Dit was in die jare ná die wêreldwye resessie tussen 2007 en 2008
waartydens die joernalistiek swaar getref is . Benewens die feit dat koerante se
sirkulasiesyfers begin daal het en publikasies gedwing is om hul nuus aanlyn te skuif, is geen inkomste daaruit genereer nie. Lesers het nie vir inhoud aanlyn betaal nie en publikasies het
ook gesukkel om ’n inkomste uit adverteerders te verhaal aangesien adverteerders nog nie die
skuif gemaak het om op digitale webwerwe te adverteer nie . Adverteerders het verkies om na groot name soos Google en Facebook te stroom . Dus is m ediamaatskappye gedwing om nuwe maniere te vind om die joernalistiek volhoubaar te maak en te befonds. Dit is met hierdie agtergrond wat ek hierdie navorsingsprojek aanpak, wat fokus op die impak van nuusmodelle, en spesifiek betaalmure, in Suid Suid-Afrika. Sunday Times was in 2012 die eerste publikasie om sy lesers te vra om vir inhoud te betaal, en vand ag, tien jaar later, vra meer publikasies hul lesers om dieselfde te doen.
Die sosiale verantwoordelikheidsteorie het rigting tot dié studie gegee deur vrae te vra oor die impak van verskillende nuusmodelle op ’n Suid-Afrikaanse gehoor. Dié studie kyk na vier publikasies wat elk ’n verskillende nuusmodel bedryf. Die studie neem dit een stap verder en ondersoek ook die aspek van toegang tot inligting. Die navorsingsontwerp is ’n gevallestudie wat kwalitatief van aard is. Semi- gestruktureerde onderhoude is met vier redaksionele leiers van die publikasies gedoen ten einde die navorsingsvrae te beantwoord.
Daar is bevind dat die joernalistiek slegs volhoubaar kan wees as lesers daarvoor betaal.Trouens, om ’n betaalmuurmodel te hê en om lesers te vra om vir die inhoud te betaal, dra by tot die bevordering en kwaliteit van joernalistiek. Daar moet wel daarna gekyk word om alternatiewe nuusmodelle te vestig om nie lesers uit te sluit wat dit nie kan bekostig nie.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 2011, The New York Times became the first digital publication to ask readers to pay for content. This was in the years following the global recession between 2007 and 2008, and journalism was also hit hard. In addition to the fact that newspapers’ circulation figures began to decline and publications were forced to move their news online, they could not generate an income from it. Readers were not paying for content online, and publications were also struggling to recoup revenue from advertisers, as advertisers hadn’t yet made the move to advertising on digital news platforms and instead flocked to big names like Google and Facebook. Media companies have therefore been forced to consider new ways to sustain and fund journalism. Against this background, I embark on this research project, which focuses on the impact of news models, specifically paywalls, in South Africa. Sunday Times was the first local publication in 2012 to ask its readers to pay for content, and today, ten years later, more publications are asking their readers to do the same. The social responsibility theory gave direction to this study by asking questions about the impact of different news models on a South African audience. This study looks at four publications that each operate a different news model. The study takes this one step further and examines the aspect of access to information. The research design is a case study and qualitative in nature. Semi -structured interviews were conducted with four editorial leaders of the publications to answer the research questions. It was found that journalism can only be sustainable if readers pay for it. Having a paywall model and asking readers to pay for content contributes to the quality of journalism. Care must be taken to establish alternative news models so as not to exclude readers who cannot afford them.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 2011, The New York Times became the first digital publication to ask readers to pay for content. This was in the years following the global recession between 2007 and 2008, and journalism was also hit hard. In addition to the fact that newspapers’ circulation figures began to decline and publications were forced to move their news online, they could not generate an income from it. Readers were not paying for content online, and publications were also struggling to recoup revenue from advertisers, as advertisers hadn’t yet made the move to advertising on digital news platforms and instead flocked to big names like Google and Facebook. Media companies have therefore been forced to consider new ways to sustain and fund journalism. Against this background, I embark on this research project, which focuses on the impact of news models, specifically paywalls, in South Africa. Sunday Times was the first local publication in 2012 to ask its readers to pay for content, and today, ten years later, more publications are asking their readers to do the same. The social responsibility theory gave direction to this study by asking questions about the impact of different news models on a South African audience. This study looks at four publications that each operate a different news model. The study takes this one step further and examines the aspect of access to information. The research design is a case study and qualitative in nature. Semi -structured interviews were conducted with four editorial leaders of the publications to answer the research questions. It was found that journalism can only be sustainable if readers pay for it. Having a paywall model and asking readers to pay for content contributes to the quality of journalism. Care must be taken to establish alternative news models so as not to exclude readers who cannot afford them.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.