Media Freedom Day in South Africa commemorates the day in 1977 when the apartheid government Prohibited two newspapers – World and Weekend World – and the church magazine “Pro Veritate”. 18 black consciousness organizations. Number of Journalists were also detained.
One of the purposes of commemorating at the present time is to maintain the memory alive, to make people more sensitive to contemporary trends that will lead the country back to the path of repression.
What does the picture appear to be today?
First, a bit of optimism: South African residents would never have known what a mess the country was without the tireless efforts of investigative journalists who uncovered widespread corruption, resulting in Guptaleaks and exposed Bell Pottinger’s complicity inciting racial tensions.
But that is where the excellent news ends.
Reason for concern
Media freedom continues to face external threats in the form of: legislation, bullying, harassment and surveillance.
Another major area of concern is that South African media is just not diverse enough: neither in terms of ownership nor diversity of perspectives. This lack of diversity makes it difficult for the media to assert to represent society.
Worse still, the only significant “change” in media ownership this yr turned out to be a cynical influence-buying ploy. It was a “purchase” of a television station owned by Gupta ANN7 AND New age newspaper by their staunch defender and former government spokesman Mzwanele Jimmy Manyi. All that has been achieved is the media transformation’s disrepute.
The country lags behind on the subject of public broadcasting. South Africans should have one which works in the public interest and acts as a countervailing force to large business interests in the media. However, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has been in a mess for several years financial problems AND mismanagement.
Political interference in the running of the public broadcaster dates back to President Jacob Zuma. After weeks of considering recommendations for the recent SABC board, the board he finally appointed included: controversial chairman and deputy. He also appointed one other minister of communication, the seventh in as a few years, suggesting that communication is fair is just not a government priority.
However, threats to media freedom don’t at all times come from outside, from security agencies or politicians. Media freedom can also be being undermined in more subtle ways. Even if all the usual threats were resolved, questions remain: what’s going to the South African media do with its freedom? How well does the media serve the interests of all the country’s residents?
Media as a monitor
One consequence of having to fight so hard to guard free media space in post-apartheid South Africa was that the media got here to define its primary role vis-à-vis the government, often in a highly antagonistic way. But being a watchdog is only one possible role of the media. This he could play too others: a facilitating role that fosters dialogue with civil society, a radical role that opposes power, or a collaborative role that creates partnerships between media and the state around shared interests.
The problem with the work of media regulators is that issues which might be mainly of interest to the elite come to the fore. This is partly attributable to increased business pressure on traditional media (newspapers, radio and tv). Like in all places in the world, the audience is from South Africa are increasingly moving to free digital platforms, disrupting the business model of traditional media over time. The combination of media focused on lucrative markets and focused almost exclusively on monitoring government can present a one-dimensional view – or “view from the suburbs”.
Disconnect
Research shows that South African media often fail to achieve the trust of audiences outside the mainstream elite, resembling the poor and youth.
The disconnect between mainstream media and audiences on the margins of society is best illustrated by the way the media reports on social protests: they’re routinely covered only to the extent that they inconvenience the middle class. Attempts to contact protesters, to seek out out why they’re protesting, why they should not selecting other forms of engagement and what led to the breakdown in trust, are rare – partly as a result of restrictions imposed on journalists.
By deepening the marginalization of these residents, the media runs the risk of associating them with narrow or sectarian interests.
Importantly, it will be significant to do not forget that media freedom exists not only for the media, but is meant to serve all residents. The South African media has done exemplary work on many fronts in recent years. However, for media freedom to be deeply rooted in the country’s democracy, it should strive to listen much more broadly and thoroughly to the voices of those that are still not inside the reach of mainstream news.
By doing so – especially in a communications environment rife with propaganda, fake news and spin – the media would gain the trust of residents and find more allies in its much-needed resistance to the creeping authoritarianism in South African society.
