Language is culture:

Many of us think that English dominates the web pages we surf each day. Indeed, until recently English was the predominant language for publishing online, but things are slowly changing and the presence of linguistic diversity on the Internet is starting to become a reality in the global village. The question, however, remains: how many African languages are represented in that diversity?

A baseline study of youth identity, the media and the public sphere in South Africa:

The project on youth identity, the media and the public sphere in South Africa was led by Prof Jane Duncan, Highway Africa Chair of Media and Information Society, at Rhodes University in South Africa. The research project was funded by the South Africa Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD), and partnered in the Netherlands with Prof Irene Costera Meijer (of VU University of Amsterdam) and Prof Nico Drok (of Windesheim University)

A baseline study of youth identity, the media and the public sphere in South Africa:

The project on youth identity, the media and the public sphere in South Africa was led by Prof Jane Duncan, Highway Africa Chair of Media and Information Society, at Rhodes University in South Africa. The research project was funded by the South Africa Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD), and partnered in the Netherlands with Prof Irene Costera Meijer (of VU University of Amsterdam) and Prof Nico Drok (of Windesheim University)

Globalization and communications policy: the role of the media in communications policy development in Kenya between 2002 and 2009

This thesis is a case study analysis of the role of the media in communications policy development in Kenya. The aim of the research was to investigate whether the press in particular could play a role in policy-making as policy stakeholders, moving beyond the traditional role of the media in policy as agenda setting agents. This was done through a case study analysis of two policy-making processes, namely the process of developing the National ICT Policy and the process which resulted in the Kenya Communications Amendment Act. While traditional studies of the media’s role in policy have examined the manner in which media coverage has influenced policy-makers and the public, this thesis aims to investigate whether the media can play a more direct role in policy processes as stakeholders in policy discussions and debates. The media’s role in communications policy in Kenya was examined within the context of globalization and the potential of multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) to create an enabling environment for the participation of diverse stakeholders, including the media, in the policy-making process. The findings have shed light on the political, social and economic context within which policy is made in Kenya and within which the press in Kenya operate and the obstacles that this has posed to their participation in policy-making processes. What has emerged from this thesis is that although there is some engagement by policy stakeholders other than the government, it is of a superficial nature and fails to ensure real diversity and participation by a range of different stakeholders from different sectors. Furthermore, the press failed to take advantage of avenues for debate and discussion to engage in policy discussions, and instead in the case of the KCAA used their agenda setting power to influence the policy negatively. Through biased, subjective and misleading reporting, the press were able to influence policy-makers to the point where the passed Act (KCAA) was returned to parliament for further amendments

Born free without a cause?: Young and mediated

Each year on the 16th June we celebrate Youth Day and I wonder what the day means to young South Africans. Countries all over the world celebrate Youth Day as a way to highlight the importance of young people in society. In South Africa, it is this and much more. Here this specific day was chosen to commemorate the Soweto Uprising of 1976, when young South Africans rose up against the inequalities, atrocities and injustices of the apartheid government

Tracing the ANC’s criticism of South African media: 20 years of democracy

We often forget the strides that have been made in the media industry in South Africa since the end of apartheid and the repressive conditions under which the media industry operated prior to 1994. In the current context of complaints by the ANC about the lack of transformation in the industry and the poor reporting by the mainstream commercial media, the gains in ownership changes and the massive growth of the community media sector in South Africa are sometimes overshadowed. Despite a positive early relationship between the media and the ANC government, things have become progressively more difficult between these two institutions and the criticism from the ANC more vociferous in recent years

Being a Born Free: the misunderstandings and missed opportunities facing young South Africans

Young South Africans are often referred to as the Born Frees - a term which sometimes means people born after 1994, sometimes people born after 1990, or young people who came of age politically after 1994. I've come to really dislike the term Born Frees and particularly the way it is used by the media and the politicians. By calling young people Born Frees, society is using apartheid as a reference point to identify a post-apartheid generation. This reference point (the transition to a 'free' society) unfortunately does not resonate with many of the young people that I've encountered in my research and many feel insulted by the implications of this term, which does not apply to them in any way. Should South African society really be using the transition from apartheid to define its young people and how does it relate to the lives of real young people in South Africa today? Are they really Born Free, free from what, free to do what, free individuals or free as a collective? I will look at some of the stereotypes being used in the mainstream media of Born Frees, and then look at the reaction to this term by some real young South Africans

Editors reflect on the state of journalism: the cha(lle)nging media space

Trying to understand how journalists and editors in the South African media landscape think about the work they do and the environment in which they work is not easy. However, while many of us speculate about why things are reported on in one way or another, this article gets to the heart of the issue - or the mouth - by speaking to journalists and editors about the work they do and how things have changed in the last few years within this complex institution we call the media

Mobile: the challenge of a unique new space for journalism: have you got your mojo?

The speed with which technology is improving in the mobile communications market is widening the scope for opportunity to engage with audiences, provide information and capture their attention for that little while longer. Current technology such as 3G wireless technologies, which allow for high-speed data transmission, and access to multimedia content, as well as smart phones and tablet computers have already illustrated the potential for users to access information that is tailored to mobile devices and available anywhere