DOCSLIB.ORG

An Investigation Into the Popularity of the Zimbabwean Tabloid Newspaper, Umthunywa: a Reception Study of Bulawayo Readers

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Investigation Into the Popularity of the Zimbabwean Tabloid Newspaper, Umthunywa: a Reception Study of Bulawayo Readers View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by SEALS Digital commons An investigation into the popularity of the Zimbabwean tabloid newspaper, uMthunywa: A reception study of Bulawayo readers. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies RHODES UNIVERSITY By Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara May 2006 Supervisor: Professor Larry Strelitz ii For my parents Smart and Judith Mabweazara: I will always cherish your inspiration. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis was completed thanks to the academic and personal generosity of a number of people. I wish to particularly thank my supervisor, Professor Larry Strelitz, for his patience and dedicated effort in providing the intellectual guidance and support that saw the writing of this thesis come to an end. Further gratitude goes to the following members of the Rhodes University Journalism School, who made me realise the pleasures of intellectual inquiry (perhaps without realising it themselves): Professor Jeanne Prinsloo, for making the thesis writing process lighter through her motherly advice and encouragement, and for particularly encouraging me to apply for the Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC) thesis scholarship whose support enabled me to spend time at Rhodes as I did my research; Professor Guy Berger, for the provision of material and stimulating discussions at the formative stages of my research; Lynette Steenveld, for the inspiration and advice at the onset of my studies – you were right, “it can never be an MA by attendance.” My gratitude also goes to my classmate, Hugh Ellis, for the company as the thesis writing struggle began. I am also greatly indebted to my colleagues in Journalism at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST): Stanford Matenda and Cleophas Muneri for the continual sharpening of my perceptions through discussions and informed criticisms of my work. We have indeed worked together collectively and creatively – thanks for allowing me to overstretch your indulgence by ‘giving me’ time to write as you took an extra burden of work. Many thanks also go to Elinor Burkett for proofreading sections of the dissertation. On a personal level, I wish to express my most heartfelt gratitude to my family, who made many sacrifices, often unacknowledged by me. iv ABSTRACT The development of the tabloid press has stirred heated debate among media scholars. Critics have argued against the relevance of tabloids in society, often framing them as the ‘journalistic other’ deserving no place in ‘serious’ journalism. Much of this criticism, however, has not been based on a close interrogation of the phenomenon, or an examination of the reasons for their popularity amongst readers. It is against this background that this study investigates the reasons behind the popularity of the Zimbabwean state-controlled tabloid newspaper uMthunywa, among its Bulawayo readers. In particular, it explores the meanings obtained from the content of the paper and the relevance of this content to the readers’ everyday lives. In undertaking this investigation, the study draws primarily on qualitative research methods, particularly qualitative content analysis and in-depth interviews (both group and individual). As the study demonstrates, these methods uncover the complex manner in which Bulawayo readers are attracted to uMthunywa and how they appropriate its textual meanings to their lived realities. The study establishes that despite uMthunywa being state-controlled, it offers space through which the conventional ways of presenting reality are challenged, and the importance of the newspaper being written in isiNdebele. As the study indicates, the popularity of the newspaper is largely dependent on its excessive formulaic and sensational stories, which cover issues experienced by its readers in their lived circumstances. The study thus argues that the newspaper constitutes an alternative mediated public sphere that finds space in the deeper social conditions that have alienated the people of Bulawayo from the macro- political life of the nation and the ‘power bloc’. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication..……………………………………………………………………………….…ii Acknowledgments……..………………………………………………………….…….…..iii Abstract………………………………………………………………………………….…..iv Table of contents……………………………………………………………………………..v Chapter 1: Introduction 1. General background of the study: A personal note……………………………………..1 1.1. Objectives of the study………………………………………………………………….4 1.2. Significance of the study………………………………………………………………..5 1.3. Thesis outline.…………………………………………………………………………...6 Chapter 2: Locating uMthunywa in the Zimbabwean press and its context of consumption. 2. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..8 2.1. The press in Zimbabwe: A brief background………………………………………...8 2.1.1. The private press…………………………….………………………………………..9 2.1.2. The state-controlled press…………………………………………………………...11 2.1.3. The emergence and development of uMthunywa…………………………………...13 2.2 The context of consumption: socio-political background of Bulawayo.……………15 2.3. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..19 Chapter 3: The Habermasian concept of the public sphere and tabloid Journalism: theories and perspective. 3. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………20 3.1. The Public Sphere concept…………………………………………………………… 20 3.2. Defining the ‘tabloid’ ………………………………………………………………….23 3.3. Tracing the origins of tabloid journalism……………………………………………...25 3.4. Tabloids: theories and perspectives….………………………………………………...28 3.5. Tabloids and the Public Sphere concept.………………………………………………33 3.6. Conclusion.…………………………………………………………………………….37 Chapter 4: Audience Studies: Situating reception analysis 4. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….38 4.1. Background………………………………………………………………………….38 4.2. Effects studies: the passive audience………………………………………………..39 4.3. Changing perspectives: the birth of the active audience…………………………….42 4.3.1. Uses and Gratifications……………………………………………………………...43 4.3.2. Reception analysis…………………………………………………………………..45 4.3.3. The foundation of reception analysis………………………………………………..46 The encoding/decoding model………………………………………………………46 4.3.4. The essentials of reception analysis…………………………………………………48 4.4. Conclusion.…..….……….………………………………………………………….51 vi Chapter 5: Research methodology and data analysis procedures 5. Introduction¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ .52 5.1. Research design and procedure¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ...52 5.1.1. Quantitative research: philosophical underpinnings.¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ...52 5.1.2. Epistemological foundations of reception research.. .¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 55 5.2. Research procedure and sampling¼ .¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ..56 5.2.1. Qualitative content analysis¼ .¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 56 5.2.2. Focus group interviews¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ...59 5.3.3. Individual in-depth interviews.¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 62 5.3. Data analysis procedures¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ .63 5.4. Conclusion¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ...64 Chapter 6: Presentation and analysis of findings 6. Introduction¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 66 6.1. Qualitative content analysis findings: a brief overview.¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 67 6.2. Readers' identities and relationships to the broader political formation..¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ..71 6.3. Readers' newspaper preferences and reading habits¼ ¼ ¼ ..¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 75 6.4. Meanings obtained from the textual content of uMthunywa and their appropriation to the readers' everyday lived-realities¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ..80 6.5. The political significance of the reading of uMthunywa.¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ...87 6.6. The role of language in attracting readers to uMthunywa¼ ..¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ....92 6.7. Conclusion¼ .¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ .¼ 94 Chapter 7: Conclusion 7. Introduction¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 95 7.1. Summary¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 96 7.2. Scope for further research¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ..97 Appendix¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ..99 Guide for focus group interviews.¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ...100 References¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ..102 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION I want to know more about those instances when the people make relevant connections between the immediate conditions of everyday life and the larger structures which determine those conditions and about what sort of information encourages or enables this. I am interested in the possible points of intersection between information about events at the macro-structural level of organised political life and the information that the people desire in order to extend their control over the conditions of their lives within that macro-political order. (Fiske 1992: 61) This study is an investigation into the popularity of the Zimbabwean vernacular (isiNdebele) tabloid newspaper, uMthunywa among its Bulawayo readers, who account for about three quarters of its total readership. It broadly seeks to interrogate the very meanings readers amass from the content of the newspaper and how these interface with their everyday lived circumstances. This aim ties closely with the fact that the socio-political and economic history of Bulawayo Metropolitan Province – located
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Distributive Politics at Play in Harare, Zimbabwe: Case for Housing Cooperatives
    Chirisa et al. Bandung J of Global South (2015) 2:15 DOI 10.1186/s40728-015-0015-9 RESEARCH Open Access Distributive politics at play in Harare, Zimbabwe: case for housing cooperatives Innocent Chirisa*, Elmond Bandauko and Nyasha Takawira Mutsindikwa *Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract University of Zimbabwe, This paper is a case in distributive politics (and hinges on land-based power dynam- Harare, Zimbabwe ics) arguing that in the absence of state capacity to provide for housing, housing cooperatives have emerged and controlled largely by patronage. In this case, there is exclusion of those individuals, households and families not politically connected; and this has deep and undesired consequences in the management of urban areas in the end. In the Greater Harare urban (and peri-urban) landscape, the housing cooperatives have the power to control their members with respect to the contributions that each member can make in terms of finance and sweat equity (labor). Nevertheless, land as a resource remains a prerogative of the state, which the ZANU PF regime has controlled for a span of more than 30 years now. Housing cooperatives in Harare, as elsewhere in the country, try to identify with ZANU PF as a party identifying with conservativism enshrined in the existing laws (albeit the New Constitution that came about in 2013) and a party advocating for equity in the distribution of the land. Cooperatives have become a tool in which ZANU PF has re-asserted its influence and hegemony. Keywords: Social capital, Manipulation, Control, Governance, State capacity, Homelessness, Housing land Background In sub-Saharan Africa, in the recent years, the decline of the welfare state in the provi- sion of goods and services has seen the rise of housing cooperatives.
    [Show full text]
  • Blurred Lines
    BLURRED LINES: HOW SOUTH AFRICA’S INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM HAS CHANGED WITH A NEW DEMOCRACY AND EVOLVING COMMUNICATION TOOLS Zoe Schaver The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Media and Journalism Advised by: __________________________ Chris Roush __________________________ Paul O’Connor __________________________ Jock Lauterer BLURRED LINES 1 ABSTRACT South Africa’s developing democracy, along with globalization and advances in technology, have created a confusing and chaotic environment for the country’s journalists. This research paper provides an overview of the history of the South African press, particularly the “alternative” press, since the early 1900s until 1994, when democracy came to South Africa. Through an in-depth analysis of the African National Congress’s relationship with the press, the commercialization of the press and new developments in technology and news accessibility over the past two decades, the paper goes on to argue that while journalists have been distracted by heated debates within the media and the government about press freedom, and while South African media companies have aggressively cut costs and focused on urban areas, the South African press has lost touch with ordinary South Africans — especially historically disadvantaged South Africans, who are still struggling and who most need representation in news coverage. BLURRED LINES 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I: Introduction A. Background and Purpose B. Research Questions and Methodology C. Definitions Chapter II: Review of Literature A. History of the Alternative Press in South Africa B. Censorship of the Alternative Press under Apartheid Chapter III: Media-State Relations Post-1994 Chapter IV: Profits, the Press, and the Public Chapter V: Discussion and Conclusion BLURRED LINES 3 CHAPTER I: Introduction A.
    [Show full text]
  • Imagining Audience Agency in Colonial Rhodesia and Post- Colonial Zimbabwe
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by LSE Research Online Wendy Willems Producing loyal citizens and entertaining volatile subjects: imagining audience agency in colonial Rhodesia and post- colonial Zimbabwe Book section Original citation: Originally published in Willems, Wendy (2014) Producing loyal citizens and entertaining volatile subjects: imagining audience agency in colonial Rhodesia and post-colonial Zimbabwe. In: Butsch, Richard and Livingstone, Sonia, (eds.) Meanings of Audiences: Comparative Discourses. Routledge, Abingdon, UK, pp. 80-96. ISBN 9780415837293 © 2014 The Author This version available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/51198/ Available in LSE Research Online: August 2014 LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LSE Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (http://eprints.lse.ac.uk) of the LSE Research Online website. This document is the author’s submitted version of the book section. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from it. Producing loyal citizens and entertaining volatile subjects: imagining audience agency in colonial Rhodesia and post-colonial Zimbabwe Wendy Willems Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science Department of Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Original citation: Willems, W.
    [Show full text]
  • National Security Is a Sensitive Subject. a Country's Survival, Growth
    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY National security is a sensitive subject. A country’s survival, growth and development depend on a well crafted and consciously implemented national security policy. By nature, national security implementation should always be at a competitive edge relative to internal and external security threats. As a result, the state cannot easily disclose or expose its national security policies and plans without sufficient cause. Zimbabwe’s national security implementation is guided and instructed by the Public Order and Security Act, the Official Secrets Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. These acts complement one another and are applied flexibly enough to suit the prevailing circumstances The Acts ensure that order, peace and stability prevail, and that the state’s secrets are protected from those who are not entitled to them. State secrets are the preserve of responsible authorities who implement them to control the variables that affect the survival, growth and development of the state. While the call for the right to access to information may sound cogent, it is important to note that it cannot be guaranteed that the information will not be used against the interests of the state and private individuals. In the Zimbabwean context, the phenomenon of the public demanding access to security information is not significant. The public is aware of the sensitivity of state secrets and security information, and it is not common to identify ordinary people craving for security information. Those who demand the information are political malcontents bent on finding a pretext for fomenting anarchy. Public order is maintained by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, and national defence is guaranteed by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, but for effective protection of the nation, security information is the preserve of those entitled to access it and use it, and not just anybody who might use it against the interests of the state.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cultural Politics of Climate Change Discourse in UK Tabloids
    Author's personal copy Political Geography 27 (2008) 549e569 www.elsevier.com/locate/polgeo The cultural politics of climate change discourse in UK tabloids Maxwell T. Boykoff* James Martin Research Fellow, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK Abstract In the United Kingdom (UK), daily circulation figures for tabloid newspapers are as much as ten times higher than broadsheet sources. Nonetheless, studies of media representations of climate change in the UK to date have focused on broadsheet newspapers. Moreover, readership patterns correlate with socio-eco- nomic status; the majority of readers of tabloids are in ‘working class’ demographics. With a growing need to engage wider constituencies in awareness and potential behavioral change, it is important to ex- amine how these influential sources represent climate change for a heretofore understudied segment of citizenry. This paper links political geographies with cultural issues of identity and discourse, through claims and frames on climate change in four daily ‘working class’ tabloid newspapers in UK e The Sun (and News of the World ), Daily Mail (and Mail on Sunday), the Daily Express (and Sunday Express), and the Mirror (and Sunday Mirror). Through triangulated Critical Discourse Analysis, investigations of framing and semi-structured interviews, this project examines representations of climate change in these newspapers from 2000 through 2006. Data show that news articles on climate change were predominantly framed through weather events, charismatic megafauna and the movements of political actors and rhetoric, while few stories focused on climate justice and risk. In addition, headlines with tones of fear, misery and doom were most prevalent.
    [Show full text]
  • The Small World of Clandestine Radio Broadcasting
    SANCTIONED AND CONTROLLED MESSAGE PROPAGATION IN A RESTRICTIVE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT: THE SMALL WORLD OF CLANDESTINE RADIO BROADCASTING David Ndirangu Wachanga, B.A., M.J. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2007 APPROVED: Brian C. O’Connor, Major Professor F. Mitch Land, Committee Member Herman L. Totten, Committee Member and Dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences C. Melinda Levin, Committee Member Jacqueline Lambiase, Committee Member Sandra L. Terrell, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Wachanga, David Ndirangu, Sanctioned and Controlled Message Propagation in a Restrictive Information Environment: The Small World of Clandestine Radio Broadcasting. Doctor of Philosophy (Information Science), December 2007, 153 pages, 4 tables, 8 figures, 83 references. This dissertation seeks to identify the elements that inform the model for competing message propagation systems in a restrictive environment. It pays attention to message propagation by sanctioned and clandestine radio stations in pre- and post-independent Zimbabwe. This dissertation uses two models of message propagation in a limiting information environment: Sturges’ information model of national liberation struggle and Chatman’s small world information model. All the message propagation elements in the Sturges and Chatman’s models are present in the broadcast texts analyzed. However, the findings of this dissertation indicate that communication in a restrictive information environment is designed such that its participants make sense of their situation, and come up with ways to solve the challenges of their small world. Also, a restrictive information environment is situational, and message propagators operating in it are subject to tactical changes at different times, accordingly altering their cognitive maps.
    [Show full text]
  • Succession Politics and Factional Journalism in Zimbabwe: a Case of the Chronicle in Zimbabwe
    African Journalism Studies ISSN: 2374-3670 (Print) 2374-3689 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/recq21 Succession Politics and Factional Journalism in Zimbabwe: A Case of The Chronicle in Zimbabwe Wallace Chuma, Mbongeni J. Msimanga & Lungile A. Tshuma To cite this article: Wallace Chuma, Mbongeni J. Msimanga & Lungile A. Tshuma (2020): Succession Politics and Factional Journalism in Zimbabwe: A Case of TheChronicle in Zimbabwe, African Journalism Studies, DOI: 10.1080/23743670.2020.1731564 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2020.1731564 Published online: 19 Mar 2020. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=recq21 AFRICAN JOURNALISM STUDIES https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2020.1731564 Succession Politics and Factional Journalism in Zimbabwe: A Case of The Chronicle in Zimbabwe Wallace Chumaa, Mbongeni J. Msimangab and Lungile A. Tshumac aCentre for Film & Media Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa; bDepartment of Communication Studies, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; cDepartment of Journalism, Film & Television Studies, University of Johannesburg, South Africa ABSTRACT KEYWORDS This paper is a critical exploration of the emergence and Factional journalism; manifestations of a phenomenon we refer to as “factional” or succession politics; agency; “succession” journalism within the state media in the context of hegemony the tussle over the succession of the late former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. Using the state-controlled Chronicle daily newspaper as a case study, we seek to examine the role and influence of editors and journalists in the negotiation of power in the context of reporting a contested succession of Mugabe in 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom of the Press 2005
    FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 2005 FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 2005 A Global Survey of Media Independence EDITED BY KARIN DEUTSCH KARLEKAR FREEDOM HOUSE NEW YORK WASHINGTON, D.C. ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. LANHAM BOULDER NEW YORK TORONTO OXFORD ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706 www.rowmanlittlefield.com P.O. Box 317, Oxford OX2 9RU, United Kingdom Copyright © 2005 by Freedom House All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1551-9163 ISBN 0-7425-4028-6 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 0-7425-4029-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Table of Contents Acknowledgments, vii The Survey Team, ix Survey Methodology, xvii Press Freedom in 2004, 1 Karin Deutsch Karlekar Global and Regional Tables, 11 Country Reports and Ratings, 19 Freedom House Board of Trustees, 225 About Freedom House, 226 Acknowledgments Freedom of the Press 2005 could not have been completed without the contributions of numerous Freedom House staff and consultants. The following section, entitled “The Survey Team,” contains a detailed list of writers and advisers without whose efforts and input this project would not have been possible.
    [Show full text]
  • Land Scam Controversy Forces Mugabe's Hand
    J *,TODAY: POPE IN A FLAP ON.'BIRTH CONTRO.L ~ I N.SE UPDATE * TOP WEEKEND SPORT * f ,6 I J.' , J J 4. J • ~ • L. , .. , ing Africa South Vol.3 No.392 land scam controversy Curtain rises forces Mugabe's hand HARARE: Zimbawean president vincial governor, senior police, Robert Mugabe has ordered the army, air force and intelligence cancellation of all leases of state­ service officers and civil servants owned farms in an attempt to de­ that had been leased government­ fuse the damaging scandal over owned farms. on Lubowski land issued to. senior ,ruUng party The. 'properties included farms and go~rnment -Officials. '. bought ,and seized by govehtment In his tiroSt · reaction to revela­ to resettle land-hungry peasants, . tions of the leases by the country's as well as about 100 properties pre­ independent Press, Mugabe was viously rented by white farmers - quoted in The People's Voice, the some (or as long as three decades - organ of the ruling Zanu (PF) but who had their leases cancelled party, as saying he was taking the by the government in October last inquest today action because of public outcry. year as a prelude to re-leasing them. But there was immediate criti­ Mugabe promised that the list of cism that his moves were not people who had been leased farms GWEN LISTER enough. would be published, and said in In early March independently­ future leases of state-owned land owned newspapers began a series would be done through "proper THE long-awaited inquest into the of reports that listed the names of procedures".
    [Show full text]
  • Journalism Ethics: Mainstream Versus Tabloid Journalists
    Asia Pacific Media ducatE or Issue 12 Article 9 12-2002 Journalism ethics: Mainstream versus tabloid journalists R. Y. G. Er Singapore Press Holdings H. Xiaoming Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/apme Recommended Citation Er, R. Y. G. and Xiaoming, H., Journalism ethics: Mainstream versus tabloid journalists, Asia Pacific Media ducatE or, 12, 2002, 139-155. Available at:https://ro.uow.edu.au/apme/vol1/iss12/9 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] YEW & HAO : Journalism ethics ... Journalism Ethics: Mainstream Versus Tabloid Journalists Through a survey of 356 journalists working for various newspapers under the Singapore Press Holdings, this study shows that despite the influence of newsroom culture, journalists working for the mainstream and tabloid newspapers may not differ in terms of their professional values and ethical standards. It is the content orientation of their newspaper or their perception of it that leads them to act differently in covering certain kinds of news. In other words, the institutional influence does have an impact on the ethical decision-making process among journalists in their daily operations even though it may not determine the direction of their personal beliefs and ethical values. Rosaline Yew Guey Er Hao Xiaoming Singapore Press Holdings Nanyang Technological University, Singapore ost daily newspapers are published in broadsheet format. MSome, however, are printed in a format known as the ‘tabloid’, which is about half the size of a broadsheet newspaper.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of the Chronicle's Coverage of the Gukurahundi Conflict in Zimbabwe Between 1983 and 1986
    Representing Conflict: An Analysis of The Chronicle's Coverage of the Gukurahundi conflict in Zimbabwe between 1983 and 1986 A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Arts Degree in Journalism and Media Studies Rhodes University By Phillip Santos Supervisor: Professor Lynette Steenveld October 2011 Acknowledgements I am forever in the debt of my very critical, incisive, and insightful supervisor Professor Lynette Steenveld whose encyclopaedic knowledge of social theory, generous advice, and guidance gave me more tban a fair share of epiphanic moments. I certainly would not have made it this far without the love and unstinting support of my dear wife Ellen, and daughter, . Thandiswa. For unparalleled teamwork and dependable friendship, thank you Sharon. My friends Stanley, Jolly, Sthembiso, Ntombomzi and Carolyne, tbank you for all the critical conversations and for keeping me sane throughout those tumultuous moments. I also owe particular debt of gratitude to tbe Journalism Department and UNESCO for enabling my studies at Rhodes University. Abstract This research is premised on the understanding that media texts are discourses and that all discourses are functional, that is, they refer to things, issues and events, in meaningful and goal oriented ways. Nine articles are analysed to explicate the sorts of discourses that were promoted by The Chronicle during the Gukurahundi conflict in Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1986. It is argued that discourses in the news media are shaped by the role(s), the type(s) of journalism assumed by such media, and by the political environment in which the news media operate. The interplay between the ro les, types of journalism practised, and the effect the political environment has on news discourses is assessed within the context of conflictual situations.
    [Show full text]
  • MISA-Zimbabwe
    MISA-Zimbabwe The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Two Years On ARTICLE 19/MISA-ZIMBABWE ARTICLE 19, London and MISA-Zimbabwe, Harare ISBN [TO BE ADDED] September 2004 ARTICLE 19, 33 Islington High St., London N1 9LH • Tel. +44 20 7278 9292 • [email protected] • www.article19.org MISA-Zimbabwe, 84 McChlery Avenue Eastlea, P O Box HR 8113 Harare • Tel: (263 4) 776 165/746 838, mobile: (263) 11 602 685, • [email protected] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Report was prepared jointly by Toby Mendel, Law Programme Director, ARTICLE 19, and Rashweat Mukundu, MISA-Zimbabwe. It was copy edited by Pauline Donaldson, Campaign and Development Team, ARTICLE 19. ARTICLE 19 and MISA-Zimbabwe would like to thank the Open Society Institute Justice Initiative for its financial support for the development and publication of this Report. The positions taken in this document do not necessarily reflect the views of the Open Society Institute Justice Initiative. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1 II. AIPPA: OVERVIEW AND CRITIQUE ........................................ 3 II.1 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ........................................................................... 4 II.2 THE MEDIA AND INFORMATION COMMISSION.............................................. 6 II.3 REGISTRATION OF THE MASS MEDIA ............................................................. 7 II.4 ACCREDITATION OF JOURNALISTS.................................................................. 9 II.5 CONTENT
    [Show full text]