Capital or critique?: when journalism education seeks to influence the field
- Authors: Boshoff, Priscilla A , Garman, Anthea
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143392 , vital:38242 , DOI: 10.1080/02560046.2016.1262437
- Description: Drawing on Bourdieu’s theories of field and capital, we examine the limitations that a journalism school at a prestigious university faces in making a meaningful contribution to the field within a developing country. In the postapartheid South African media landscape, journalism is under pressure both from global forces and a political imperative to address social justice. Given the heterogeneity of the journalistic field and the fact that what counts as capital in it is contested, the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University attempts to redefine the parameters by inculcating a particular approach to and philosophy of journalism practice. While Rhodes wants to educate excellent (professional) journalists, it is guided by an overt political mission to cultivate a journalism that is not necessarily ‘in sync’ with the wider field. Ironically, most undergraduates come from the economic and cultural elite, with specific intentions to accumulate the capital which Rhodes bestows. Students are confronted with their privilege and with alternative ideas about the purpose of journalism, and are asked to make choices and take up positions. We consider whether this critical praxis approach is able to influence the ‘state of play’ – or the distribution of power – within the field.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Interrogating citizen journalism practices: a case study of Rhodes University’s Lindaba Ziyafika Project
- Authors: Nyathi, Sihle , Garman, Anthea
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/158915 , vital:40240 , https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2016.1259740
- Description: Several scholars have noted that citizen journalism in the West is essentially an online phenomenon, driven by the affordability of Internet technologies. In Africa, projects such as Ushahidi in Kenya have been enabled by platforms such as cell phones and social networks. Voices of Africa, based in southern Africa, publishes on the web only. Publishing on the Internet presumes a citizenry which is relatively well educated; has familiarity with, and access to, new media as a form of social communication; and is confident in their right to participate in newly developed public spheres – particularly those online.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Listening and the ambiguities of voice in South African journalism:
- Authors: Garman, Anthea , Malila, Vanessa
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/158394 , vital:40180 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2016.1226914
- Description: Political theorists like Bickford (1996) and media theorists like Couldry (2006) have introduced the concept of listening as a complement to long-standing discussions about voice in democracies and in the media which serve the democratic project. This enhanced understanding of voice goes beyond just hearing into giving serious attention to, in particular, marginalised voices. This article reports on an investigation into the ways in which mainstream and community media in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, understand listening as an important part of their role as journalists. Interviews probed the attitudes of journalists and editors towards listening, and also interrogated their own understandings of their role in South Africa, particularly in relation to young people who are finding their political “voice”.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Media and citizenship: between marginalisation and participation
- Authors: Garman, Anthea , Wasserman, Herman
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/158383 , vital:40179 , ISBN 9780796925565
- Description: How central are the media to the functioning of democracy? Is democracy primarily about citizens using their vote? Does the expression of their voice necessarily empower citizens? Media and Citizenship challenges some assumptions about the relationship between the media and democracy in highly unequal societies like South Africa. In a post-apartheid society where an enfranchised majority is still unable to fundamentally practice their citizenship and experiences marginalization on a daily basis, notions like listening and belonging may be more useful ways of thinking about the role of the media. In this context, protest is taken seriously as a form of political expression and the media's role is foregrounded as actively seeking out the voices of those on the margins of society. Through a range of case studies, the contributors show how listening, both as a political concept and as a form of practice, has transformative and even radical potential for both emerging and established democracies.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Riding the waves: Journalism education in post-apartheid South Africa
- Authors: Garman, Anthea , van der Merwe, Mia
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/158405 , vital:40181 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1177/1077695817720679
- Description: Since 1994, South African journalism education has undergone waves of introspection about curricula and methods of teaching as educators respond to the challenging realities of the post-apartheid environment. The most recent challenge to journalism educators is the student protests which started at the end of 2015, questioning the high costs of education and demanding “decolonization” of curricula. The traditional alignment with media companies has also been upended as the drastic contraction of newsrooms removes the promise of jobs upon graduation and the swiftly shifting digital terrain rearranges the financial basis of all journalism. These factors introduce a dynamism and uncertainty into South African journalism that educators are compelled to respond to with imagination and principle.
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- Date Issued: 2017