Guidelines
for SA media essays:
Guidelines
by
Guy Berger, Oct 2001
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Essay
9: Investigative journalism comparision
Lives and times: discuss the relationship between a prominent figure in
South African journalism, and the historical period in he or she functioned. Eg. Donald Woods, Ryland Fisher,
Peter Magubane, Nat Nakasa, Henry Nxumalo, Max du Preez.
a. Answers should explain
why the particular individual was chosen.
b. The essays must go beyond mere description: they should try to explain
the interaction of individual and social context.
c. Essays should utilise points from
the course as a whole, eg. the theme of race and journalism, media freedom
and controls, press as opposition, resistance and pleasure, etc.
"Press as pleasure? The legacy of
the Drum writers has no relevance to the role of media in helping to transform
South Africa today." Discuss.
a. Essays must abstract out of Drum what the legacy is. This might be items
like inter-racial harmony among staff; writing style, investigations, campaigns,
making pleasure out of painful subjects, dealing with Racial Identity politics.
There may be other negative legacies: sexism, excessive individualism and
inattention to structural problems.
b. Essays must give some assessment of SA journalism in 21st century. (touching
on some of the things like transformation, journalistic genres, continental
challenge plus xenophobia, non-sexism, Aids, jobs, human rights,
etc).
c. Argument is needed as to why the legacy is relevant. Is it present at all,
are there areas where it should be present and why?
d. Essays that skip points b and c, will not answer the question properly.
A regurgitation of Drum is not good enough.
Critically discuss the
"Press as opposition" thesis.
a. This essay
must define what is meant by the "thesis", by reference to
Elaine Potter's view that with the banning of the liberation movements, and
decline of parliament, the English and Afrikaans press became the opposition
(external and internal to the govt). NB: A distinction should be made between
"opposition" journalism (by the mainstream) and "resistance"
journalism (by the alternative press).
b. The essay touch on some examples of journalism by these media, and which
examples give sustenance to the thesis. Eg. Prisons exposes, Muldergate.
c. The essay is supposed to include Critical Discussion. This means
taking account of the radical and black journalists' critique, and the TRC
conclusion.
e. Essays should weigh up the evidence in favour of, and against, the "press
as opposition" thesis, and preferably make a case for which they believe
was right.
f. Another emphasis in the essay might be on whether today the press is or
should be "opposition". This is acceptable, but it should refer
to the history and locate current debates in that context.
The old and the new: contrast the key differences between
the South African mediascape of the 1970/80s, with that of the start of the
21st century.
a. Essays should cover all media, even though understandably
out of the course the emphasis will probably be on print. But some attention
should be give to the differences in broadcast and online media between the
two periods. Broadcasting is covered in for example the TRC.
Clearly, the internet did not exist in the 1970s/80s.
b. Essays should touch on the political/legal environment; range of ownership
and diversity of outlets; race of owners and staff and audiences. Something
about economics would be helpful.
c. An important theme that should run through this essay should be the question
of media diversity. As such, information about the recent moves to set up
the Media Diversity and Development Agency is important.
d. This essay is descriptive, but students must stick to the topic. The focus
is on differences, not similarities.
Topic 7: History and transformation
How does an understanding of South African
history help us explain media transformation today?
a. This essay will need to explain what period/s of history
it is concentrating on. It must be sure to answer the question: is the present
explainable by the past, or is the past a really different country? Has there
been a radical break with history, or are we still living with that history
- in many facets of the media (ownership, content, etc).
b. Definitely, the essay needs a definition of "transformation".
Marks will be deducted if the meaning is just assumed. A definition ought
to cover a degree of complexity: eg. race and gender; ownership and staffing.
c. The discussion may concentrate only on one aspect, i.e. race in its manifestations
in media content, ownership, staffing, etc,
d. The focus should be on the challenges of transformation today, and it ought
to make reference to the HRC hearings, which revealed that the history of
racial divisions is still alive and well in media. The essays could well try
to answer the questions: Why did white journalists prioritise Media Freedom,
and black journalists Racism? Why did white press people feel unfairly attacked,
and why were their black counterparts still angry? The answers need to refer
to the history - especially on the establishment "opposition" press,
which fed these two emotions and associated perceptions.
e. Broadcasting should not be ignored in this essay.
f. Essays could go further than transformation in terms of race, and discuss
transforming the paradigm of journalism (eg. To include voices of the poor,
etc).
What is the significance of the HRC Inquiry
for journalism in South Africa?
a. HRC hearings should be summarised, with key points highlighted: subpoena
issue, gender and racism in media issue, racial divisions amongst media people,
etc.. This is not, however, enough to answer the essay question: it must
be shown how these issues are significant.
b. HRC hearings should be located in history; i.e. at the point in SA journalism
when they came along with regard to media transformation and media freedom
issues. This is necessary if significance is to be really assessed.
c. Essay should consider, through informed speculation what the HRC hearings
portend. In the aftermath of hearings, where does SA journalism go? Will editors
unite, and if they stay divided, who might take advantage? Is there place
for white journalists? Will journalism in general change to focus on Human
Rights (including right to dignity) a lot more? What is the impact going to
be on reporting race in terms of political role of the media? What could be the impact on audiences?
Essay 9. Investigative
journalism
Compare and contrast investigative journalism
in any three of the following periods: Drum, Opposition Press, Alternative
Press, Post-apartheid Press.
This
essay title speaks largely for itself. The periods need to be identified and summarised. Points of both
similarity and difference should be noted. These should be explained in terms
of the context and in terms of historical continuity or discontinuity.
Essay 10. Alternative Press race
and racism.
Critically
discuss the role of the Alternative Press in terms of race and racism.
a.
This essay needs to define clearly what the writer conceives of race and racism
in general. With this definition given, and motivated, the essay's argument
can proceed.
b. The key point here is to analyse the role of the Alternative Press through
the lense of race and its distinct, but related, concept - racism. This requires
looking at the Alternative Press in terms of its journalism and impact, but
also in terms of its journalists and its readers.
“Media diversity is the biggest challenge
facing South African media today”. Discuss.
a. This essay refers to the developments
around the Media Diversity and Development Agency.
b. It should paint the backdrop of current outlets, ownership and staffing,
and comment on these in terms of their appropriateness to South Africa.
c. It should analyse the way in which the MDDA might address diversity, and
it should deal with some of the debates around funding the agency, the political
independence question, and what diversity really means in South African conditions.