Frames and Marginalisation of Counter-hegemonic Voices: Media Representation of the Land Debate in South Africa
Based on:
Journal Article (2022)
Because of its location in the capitalist power structures, the South African commercial press is unable to play a democratizing role for the marginalised and voiceless in society. Instead, it reinforces the interests of the powerful societal forces.
Brief by:
Research collaborators:
There are no studies that examine how the mainstream media represent and construct one of the most critical socio-economic issues at the heart of redistributive justice in South Africa – the land question. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to respond to this gap by conducting content and framing analysis of stories on land in the South African English language print media in 2018, when the debate on land redistribution was at its peak.
Key findings
What emerges from the research is that an overwhelming negative coverage of the discourse is dominated by what we regard as elite sources.
Furthermore, the negative coverage is driven mainly by five key themes: land grabs, private property rights, food insecurity, negative consequences to the economy, and investor confidence.
Proposed action
The media must be less concentrated to ensure plurality of voices
With 11 official languages, the South African media must be diversified in terms of language, ownership, content and distribution
There is a case to be made for an independent de-commodified alternative media that is not limited by the structural factors of capitalism such as ownership and control, advertising etc
This research can be useful in understanding how the marginalised section of our community could given more access in the media to speak for themselves and expressed their views on their oppression and the form of justice should that should prevail
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Antoine Germain for preparation assistance
We would like to extend a special thank you to Antoine Germain, for their invaluable contribution in assisting the preparation of this research summary.
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Frames and Marginalisation of Counter-hegemonic Voices: Media Representation of the Land Debate in South Africa
Cite this brief: Radebe, Mandla J.. 'Frames and Marginalisation of Counter-hegemonic Voices: Media Representation of the Land Debate in South Africa'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/frames-and-marginalisation-of-counter-hegemonic-voices-media-representation-of-the-land-debate-in-south-africa/
Brief created by: Professor Mandla J. Radebe | Year brief made: 2022
Original research:
- S. C., & Radebe, M. J., ‘Frames and Marginalisation of Counter-hegemonic Voices: Media Representation of the Land Debate in South Africa’ 43(1) (pp. 1–18) https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2022.2033289. – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23743670.2022.2033289?journalCode=recq21
Research brief:
Because of its location in the capitalist power structures, the South African commercial press is unable to play a democratizing role for the marginalised and voiceless in society. Instead, it reinforces the interests of the powerful societal forces.
There are no studies that examine how the mainstream media represent and construct one of the most critical socio-economic issues at the heart of redistributive justice in South Africa – the land question. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to respond to this gap by conducting content and framing analysis of stories on land in the South African English language print media in 2018, when the debate on land redistribution was at its peak.
Findings:
What emerges from the research is that an overwhelming negative coverage of the discourse is dominated by what we regard as elite sources.
Furthermore, the negative coverage is driven mainly by five key themes: land grabs, private property rights, food insecurity, negative consequences to the economy, and investor confidence.
Advice:
The media must be less concentrated to ensure plurality of voices
With 11 official languages, the South African media must be diversified in terms of language, ownership, content and distribution
There is a case to be made for an independent de-commodified alternative media that is not limited by the structural factors of capitalism such as ownership and control, advertising etc
This research can be useful in understanding how the marginalised section of our community could given more access in the media to speak for themselves and expressed their views on their oppression and the form of justice should that should prevail
- To this end, by using decolonial theories to supplement existing theories, we are able to unravel the nature of oppression, how the media becomes a useful tool in reproducing domination and class inequalities.