Framing by South African Local Newspapers on Food Security, Community Participation, Empowerment and Mobilization: The Study of Eastern Cape Local Web Newspapers

Abstract

This paper evaluates how local newspapers frame food security to ensure participation, empowerment, and community mobilization for food securing purposes. The focus is on the web versions of local newspapers in Eastern Cape, South Africa. A qualitative content analysis was used to evaluate the selected local web-based newspapers' content on food security-related stories within July-December 2016. The sample was drawn from two selected local web newspapers: Herald Live and The Talk of the Town. The findings revealed that local newspapers‘ framing of increased agricultural production, local farming, land redistribution, and government‘s financial support help to empower and mobilize individuals and communities to participate in food security initiatives. This paper concludes that local newspapers can be veritable tools to enhance food security channels in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.