Pub Date : 2023-11-12DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2257009
Diliza Madikiza
AbstractThis article reviews three critical analytical discourses that are wrestling with the Euro-American historic bias in international communication. The de-Westernisation discourse is perhaps one that has been most prevalent. To also deconcentrate Western biases, the “internationalisation” perspective argues that the field of international communication still needs to be truly “internationalised.” The article advances that there is another Western-centricity critiquing perspective—the decoloniality school of thought—that warrants a fully-fledged adoption and application as a third perspective. Together, the three disquisitions not only hold the potential to dismantle the Euro-American historical leanings evident in the field, but they also offer an opportunity to refresh international communication theory and research practice with new, alternative non-Western offerings, especially from the Global South.Keywords: international communicationde-Westernisationinternationalisationdecolonialitycritical perspectives in international communication
{"title":"An Analytical Lens Resting on a Tripod: De-Westernising, Internationalising, and Decolonising International Communication","authors":"Diliza Madikiza","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2257009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2257009","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractThis article reviews three critical analytical discourses that are wrestling with the Euro-American historic bias in international communication. The de-Westernisation discourse is perhaps one that has been most prevalent. To also deconcentrate Western biases, the “internationalisation” perspective argues that the field of international communication still needs to be truly “internationalised.” The article advances that there is another Western-centricity critiquing perspective—the decoloniality school of thought—that warrants a fully-fledged adoption and application as a third perspective. Together, the three disquisitions not only hold the potential to dismantle the Euro-American historical leanings evident in the field, but they also offer an opportunity to refresh international communication theory and research practice with new, alternative non-Western offerings, especially from the Global South.Keywords: international communicationde-Westernisationinternationalisationdecolonialitycritical perspectives in international communication","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":"29 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135037270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-31DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2248430
Aimee Viljoen-Stroebel
Abstract On 31 December 2019 the first reports of COVID-19 appeared. To control the spread of the disease, countries across the globe implemented social distancing and quarantine measures. In South Africa, a nationwide lockdown was implemented on 26 March 2020 which meant that the majority of the South African population were housebound. Very little research has been conducted to establish the effect of the pandemic on the way South Africans consumed television. This was a mixed-methods study of 385 Millennial television viewers in Gauteng, South Africa, to establish the ways in which the pandemic affected the type of television platforms used and subscribed to, considering the physical and financial ramifications of the nationwide lockdown. The findings indicated that, among Millennials in Gauteng, over-the-top (OTT) streaming services were the preferred television platform, with most participants using Netflix as their main source of TV entertainment. Many participants also indicated an intention to “cut the cord” with pay-TV providers, once live news and sport broadcasts become available on OTT TV platforms. The shift from pay-TV to OTT services was accelerated by financial constraints caused by the pandemic.
{"title":"TV and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of the Television Platform Consumption Choices of Millennials in Gauteng during a Pandemic","authors":"Aimee Viljoen-Stroebel","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2248430","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2248430","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract On 31 December 2019 the first reports of COVID-19 appeared. To control the spread of the disease, countries across the globe implemented social distancing and quarantine measures. In South Africa, a nationwide lockdown was implemented on 26 March 2020 which meant that the majority of the South African population were housebound. Very little research has been conducted to establish the effect of the pandemic on the way South Africans consumed television. This was a mixed-methods study of 385 Millennial television viewers in Gauteng, South Africa, to establish the ways in which the pandemic affected the type of television platforms used and subscribed to, considering the physical and financial ramifications of the nationwide lockdown. The findings indicated that, among Millennials in Gauteng, over-the-top (OTT) streaming services were the preferred television platform, with most participants using Netflix as their main source of TV entertainment. Many participants also indicated an intention to “cut the cord” with pay-TV providers, once live news and sport broadcasts become available on OTT TV platforms. The shift from pay-TV to OTT services was accelerated by financial constraints caused by the pandemic.","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43709062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-23DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2230391
K. Bhatia, M. Elhussein, Ben Kreimer, Trevor Snapp
Abstract This article examines the circulation of a military-led disinformation campaign against civilians leading the pro-democracy movement in Sudan. We examine the political communication of military leaders in Sudan after the June 3 massacre when the state open-fired at the protestors in Khartoum and later declared an Internet shutdown. Our primary thesis is that a state-sponsored Internet shutdown generates a communicative environment conducive to disseminating disinformation created by the state (here, military) to justify their violence and junta rule in the country. Insights from this case study also demonstrate how autocratic states impose Internet shutdowns to disable regional media and circulate disinformation against dissenting voices. Unlike most literature contextualised in fully functioning democracies of the global North, our article offers a glimpse into the evolving forms of disinformation in transitioning democracies under autocratic regimes. Our findings provide theoretical provocations to explore the workings of the conventional forms of control in a digitally mediated and autocratic society.
{"title":"Internet Shutdown and Regime-Imposed Disinformation Campaigns","authors":"K. Bhatia, M. Elhussein, Ben Kreimer, Trevor Snapp","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2230391","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2230391","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article examines the circulation of a military-led disinformation campaign against civilians leading the pro-democracy movement in Sudan. We examine the political communication of military leaders in Sudan after the June 3 massacre when the state open-fired at the protestors in Khartoum and later declared an Internet shutdown. Our primary thesis is that a state-sponsored Internet shutdown generates a communicative environment conducive to disseminating disinformation created by the state (here, military) to justify their violence and junta rule in the country. Insights from this case study also demonstrate how autocratic states impose Internet shutdowns to disable regional media and circulate disinformation against dissenting voices. Unlike most literature contextualised in fully functioning democracies of the global North, our article offers a glimpse into the evolving forms of disinformation in transitioning democracies under autocratic regimes. Our findings provide theoretical provocations to explore the workings of the conventional forms of control in a digitally mediated and autocratic society.","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41656605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-07DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2219872
Prinola Govenden
Abstract The hegemony of Euro-American canonical approaches and theories in the study of media and communications has been epistemically criticised from both the Global North and Global South locations. In the last two decades there has been a media studies de-Westernisation movement consisting of a self-critique by scholars based in the West, that have moved towards exogenous calls to decolonise theory. The decolonial turn has epistemically begun in many Global South countries such as South Africa where it was ushered in by the “fallist” student protests in 2015 that highlighted the need for decolonising education and knowledge. The vantage point of this article is that in order for the decolonial project to be meaningful, decolonisation is a process that must continuously develop after the fact of symbolic movements and events. This article makes the case that for the global imbalances of knowledge production in the Global North and Global South to be addressed in media studies, re-theorisation with indigenous knowledge is central to the decolonisation process. In this regard, I propose a new theory for South Africa, the media decolonial theory, and highlight colonial legacies still present in the post-apartheid media.
{"title":"The Media Decolonial Theory: Re-theorising and Rupturing Euro-American Canons for South African Media","authors":"Prinola Govenden","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2219872","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2219872","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The hegemony of Euro-American canonical approaches and theories in the study of media and communications has been epistemically criticised from both the Global North and Global South locations. In the last two decades there has been a media studies de-Westernisation movement consisting of a self-critique by scholars based in the West, that have moved towards exogenous calls to decolonise theory. The decolonial turn has epistemically begun in many Global South countries such as South Africa where it was ushered in by the “fallist” student protests in 2015 that highlighted the need for decolonising education and knowledge. The vantage point of this article is that in order for the decolonial project to be meaningful, decolonisation is a process that must continuously develop after the fact of symbolic movements and events. This article makes the case that for the global imbalances of knowledge production in the Global North and Global South to be addressed in media studies, re-theorisation with indigenous knowledge is central to the decolonisation process. In this regard, I propose a new theory for South Africa, the media decolonial theory, and highlight colonial legacies still present in the post-apartheid media.","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46186617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-07DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2204444
Gilbert Motsaathebe
Abstract Allegations of corruption and rape against President Jacob Zuma constituted among the most covered stories in South Africa and beyond. Widely dubbed “the Zuma saga” by the media, the twin stories began with allegations of corruption in the arms deal. While the corruption case still gripped the public, another damning allegation (rape) surfaced and fermented the story to levels surpassed by no other story at the time. Zuma was subsequently acquitted of the rape charge, but the charge of corruption continued relentlessly until the eve of the 2009 elections, in which he was elected as president. But just as the South African public thought the dust was settling, Zuma was hit by another damning allegation of inappropriately spending R250 million on upgrading Nkandla, his private residence. This article is three-pronged. First, it examines the key issues that accounted for the media frenzy sparked by both the Nkandla debacle and the Zuma saga. Second, it unravels critical ethical questions and legal issues implicit in the aforementioned cases. Third, because Zuma’s acquittal raised questions regarding the independence of the judiciary, the article also assesses the condition of judicial independence in South Africa. Theoretically, the article is informed by the sociology of journalism ethics and the notions of ethical leadership and judicial independence.
{"title":"Media Discourse, Legal, and Ethical Issues Arising from the Zuma Saga and Nkandlagate","authors":"Gilbert Motsaathebe","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2204444","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2204444","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Allegations of corruption and rape against President Jacob Zuma constituted among the most covered stories in South Africa and beyond. Widely dubbed “the Zuma saga” by the media, the twin stories began with allegations of corruption in the arms deal. While the corruption case still gripped the public, another damning allegation (rape) surfaced and fermented the story to levels surpassed by no other story at the time. Zuma was subsequently acquitted of the rape charge, but the charge of corruption continued relentlessly until the eve of the 2009 elections, in which he was elected as president. But just as the South African public thought the dust was settling, Zuma was hit by another damning allegation of inappropriately spending R250 million on upgrading Nkandla, his private residence. This article is three-pronged. First, it examines the key issues that accounted for the media frenzy sparked by both the Nkandla debacle and the Zuma saga. Second, it unravels critical ethical questions and legal issues implicit in the aforementioned cases. Third, because Zuma’s acquittal raised questions regarding the independence of the judiciary, the article also assesses the condition of judicial independence in South Africa. Theoretically, the article is informed by the sociology of journalism ethics and the notions of ethical leadership and judicial independence.","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46084869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2260579
Martin Zhuwakinyu, Carol Lesame
AbstractUsing the media agenda setting and media agenda building approaches as theoretical lenses, this qualitative study investigated whether media coverage of South African platinum mining companies results in a proportionate top-of-mind awareness of the companies among mining news consumers. This is a timely topic, considering the growth in business news coverage in recent times. This growth has been spurred on by, among others, the increasing popularity of share ownership in many countries, the 2007 to 2009 global financial crisis, which resulted in stock market investors desiring to be savvier about the workings of the financial system, and the rise of the internet, a technology that has enabled media houses to distribute news to much larger numbers of news consumers than previously. The study entailed content analyses of news stories published by Mining Weekly, a Johannesburg-based news magazine, over a 14-month period and of the transcripts of 27 semi-structured interviews, after which the two datasets were compared. A positive relationship between media coverage and top-of-mind awareness was demonstrated.Keywords: media agenda building approachbusiness newscorporate reputationplatinum mining industryqualitative content analysissemi-structured interviewsdigital journalism
{"title":"The Nexus Between Media Coverage and Top-of-Mind Awareness of South African Platinum Companies in News Consumers","authors":"Martin Zhuwakinyu, Carol Lesame","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2260579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2260579","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractUsing the media agenda setting and media agenda building approaches as theoretical lenses, this qualitative study investigated whether media coverage of South African platinum mining companies results in a proportionate top-of-mind awareness of the companies among mining news consumers. This is a timely topic, considering the growth in business news coverage in recent times. This growth has been spurred on by, among others, the increasing popularity of share ownership in many countries, the 2007 to 2009 global financial crisis, which resulted in stock market investors desiring to be savvier about the workings of the financial system, and the rise of the internet, a technology that has enabled media houses to distribute news to much larger numbers of news consumers than previously. The study entailed content analyses of news stories published by Mining Weekly, a Johannesburg-based news magazine, over a 14-month period and of the transcripts of 27 semi-structured interviews, after which the two datasets were compared. A positive relationship between media coverage and top-of-mind awareness was demonstrated.Keywords: media agenda building approachbusiness newscorporate reputationplatinum mining industryqualitative content analysissemi-structured interviewsdigital journalism","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":"86 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135718446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2260580
Relebohile Letlatsa
AbstractA communication strategy determines a selection of potential channels of communication to disseminate information within the institution. Higher institutions of education (HEIs) in Lesotho should have formal communication strategies that establish the communication function to support the institution and its strategies. This article aimed to investigate employee perceptions of a communication strategy for HEIs in Lesotho. A literature review on key aspects, a questionnaire, and interviews were conducted with the employees and senior management of the four public HEIs in Lesotho. A concurrent mixed-method research design was used to better understand the research problem. Leximancer and SPSS software were used to analyse qualitative and quantitative data, respectively, to enhance the quality of analytical output. The study revealed that institutions disseminate information to employees. However, their choice of communication platforms is sometimes non-functional thus rendering communication dominated by one-way and top-down communication. HEIs should develop and implement institutional communication strategies to effectively enhance the implementation of institutional strategies.Keywords: communication platformscommunication strategycorporate culturedissemination of informationemployee relationshigher institutions of educationperceptions
{"title":"Investigating Employee Perceptions of a Communication Strategy for Higher Education Institutions in Lesotho","authors":"Relebohile Letlatsa","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2260580","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2260580","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractA communication strategy determines a selection of potential channels of communication to disseminate information within the institution. Higher institutions of education (HEIs) in Lesotho should have formal communication strategies that establish the communication function to support the institution and its strategies. This article aimed to investigate employee perceptions of a communication strategy for HEIs in Lesotho. A literature review on key aspects, a questionnaire, and interviews were conducted with the employees and senior management of the four public HEIs in Lesotho. A concurrent mixed-method research design was used to better understand the research problem. Leximancer and SPSS software were used to analyse qualitative and quantitative data, respectively, to enhance the quality of analytical output. The study revealed that institutions disseminate information to employees. However, their choice of communication platforms is sometimes non-functional thus rendering communication dominated by one-way and top-down communication. HEIs should develop and implement institutional communication strategies to effectively enhance the implementation of institutional strategies.Keywords: communication platformscommunication strategycorporate culturedissemination of informationemployee relationshigher institutions of educationperceptions","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135718448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2204445
Salissou Oumarou
Abstract This study examined the online visual framing of conflict mediation in West Africa. Consequently, it widens the scope of the literature on media visual framing as well as on conflict mediation. The manifest content of 51 photographs from the online version of the leading magazine Jeune Afrique from January 2008 to November 2021 was analysed. The findings suggest that the male gender universe, dominated by politicians and the military, is more visible than the female gender universe. It was also found that the majority of photographs depicted positive attitudes. While these findings undoubtedly extend the political and scientific discourses that give high visibility to official mediation initiatives and its messianic aspect, it also informs us that Jeune Afrique’s website tends to make more salient the mediation perspective which sets it up as a notable fact, worthy of media treatment.
{"title":"Online Visual Framing of Conflict Mediation in Africa","authors":"Salissou Oumarou","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2204445","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2204445","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study examined the online visual framing of conflict mediation in West Africa. Consequently, it widens the scope of the literature on media visual framing as well as on conflict mediation. The manifest content of 51 photographs from the online version of the leading magazine Jeune Afrique from January 2008 to November 2021 was analysed. The findings suggest that the male gender universe, dominated by politicians and the military, is more visible than the female gender universe. It was also found that the majority of photographs depicted positive attitudes. While these findings undoubtedly extend the political and scientific discourses that give high visibility to official mediation initiatives and its messianic aspect, it also informs us that Jeune Afrique’s website tends to make more salient the mediation perspective which sets it up as a notable fact, worthy of media treatment.","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":"49 1","pages":"42 - 64"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45256130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2216898
Alina Wicht, Tendai Mbumbwa, Pragasen Pillay
Abstract The study investigated the role of Facebook advertising via mobile devices on South African consumers’ advertising perceptions by combining multiple perception models. The study was executed through exploratory research and content analysis of in-depth interviews. The findings suggest both negative and positive responses by South African consumers toward interruptive advertising on social media with evidence of emotional and social influence. The emotional and active responses to the communication, and the perspectives toward the social media platform, the sender of the communication, and the message itself are provided. The findings offer managers further understanding of consumer perceptions of advertising delivered via social media with suggestions to consider during strategy formations. Future researchers can use the framework to further analyse the effectiveness of the model and expand on the influential variables to increase understanding of the advertising outcomes. Organisations can use the findings to assist in their knowledge of this market and in their marketing strategies.
{"title":"The Influence of Targeted Facebook Advertising Through Mobile Devices on South African Consumers’ Advertisement Perceptions","authors":"Alina Wicht, Tendai Mbumbwa, Pragasen Pillay","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2216898","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2216898","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The study investigated the role of Facebook advertising via mobile devices on South African consumers’ advertising perceptions by combining multiple perception models. The study was executed through exploratory research and content analysis of in-depth interviews. The findings suggest both negative and positive responses by South African consumers toward interruptive advertising on social media with evidence of emotional and social influence. The emotional and active responses to the communication, and the perspectives toward the social media platform, the sender of the communication, and the message itself are provided. The findings offer managers further understanding of consumer perceptions of advertising delivered via social media with suggestions to consider during strategy formations. Future researchers can use the framework to further analyse the effectiveness of the model and expand on the influential variables to increase understanding of the advertising outcomes. Organisations can use the findings to assist in their knowledge of this market and in their marketing strategies.","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":"49 1","pages":"112 - 137"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44249939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2023.2188471
Allen Munoriyarwa, S. Chiumbu
Abstract This paper calls for greater scrutiny of data journalism as a practice in the semi-authoritarian context of Zimbabwe. Based on in-depth interviews with practising journalists in Zimbabwe, this paper answers two main questions: In what ways is data journalism practised in the Zimbabwean context? To what extent are newsrooms in Zimbabwe “tooled” and capacitated for data journalism practices? We note that data journalism is widely understood by individual journalists in this country but paradoxically less practised due to many challenges. By answering these two questions, we sustain an argument that data journalism appropriation in semi-authoritarian contexts can be instrumental in promoting monitorial democracy and reversing media decadence. In such a political context, which suffers from a democratic deficit, data journalism can cushion journalists from state-sanctioned harassment by “presenting facts to authorities” and reinvigorating “persecutory” practices like investigative journalism.
{"title":"Diving into Data: Pitfalls and Promises of Data Journalism in Semi-Authoritarian Contexts","authors":"Allen Munoriyarwa, S. Chiumbu","doi":"10.1080/02500167.2023.2188471","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2023.2188471","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper calls for greater scrutiny of data journalism as a practice in the semi-authoritarian context of Zimbabwe. Based on in-depth interviews with practising journalists in Zimbabwe, this paper answers two main questions: In what ways is data journalism practised in the Zimbabwean context? To what extent are newsrooms in Zimbabwe “tooled” and capacitated for data journalism practices? We note that data journalism is widely understood by individual journalists in this country but paradoxically less practised due to many challenges. By answering these two questions, we sustain an argument that data journalism appropriation in semi-authoritarian contexts can be instrumental in promoting monitorial democracy and reversing media decadence. In such a political context, which suffers from a democratic deficit, data journalism can cushion journalists from state-sanctioned harassment by “presenting facts to authorities” and reinvigorating “persecutory” practices like investigative journalism.","PeriodicalId":44378,"journal":{"name":"Communicatio-South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research","volume":"49 1","pages":"20 - 41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46100218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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