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Do the media in South Africa offer alternatives to violence in their coverage of protests?

Wellington S. Radu
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA)
Kgalalelo L. Morwe
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA)
William R. Bird
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA)
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Do the media in South Africa offer alternatives to violence in their coverage of protests?. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 31(sed-1), 37-56. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v31ised-1.1650
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  • Submited: October 15, 2022
  • Published: October 17, 2022

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the many social ills affecting the country, South Africa continues to make
strides in the creation of a non-racist, non-sexist and non-violent society. The media’s role in
this endeavour is important. Hence, this research examined whether the media in South Africa
offered alternatives to violence in their coverage of the municipal protests recorded between 2009
and 2011. The research revealed that the media’s coverage of these protests was narrow and
partial. In order for the coverage to be holistic, it is critical that the media go beyond reporting
the violence, its causes and its effects to offering alternatives to violence. However, offering
alternatives to violence is not the magic tool to prevent or even stop violence – it is a professional
activity that highlights the key issues the media could focus on in order fully to inform the audience
in the public interest. It is also about socially responsible media.

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How to Cite
Do the media in South Africa offer alternatives to violence in their coverage of protests?. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 31(sed-1), 37-56. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v31ised-1.1650

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