Rethinking the role of the media in South Africa
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- Submited: October 24, 2022
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Published: October 31, 2022
Abstract
The main purpose of this article is to stimulate and contribute to the debate about
the role of the media in South Africa as a developing country. Against the background
of an overview of the relationship between the government of apartheid and the
media, and the similarity of this relationship to the conflict between the African
National Congress (ANC) government and the media in 2000 and the early part of
2001, it is argued that there is a need to rethink the role of the media in South Africa.
Such rethinking could start with a revaluation of the values underlining the concept
of "freedom of expression". Both the media and the government use the concept of
"freedom of expression" as a basis for their interpretation and debate about the role of
the media in South Africa. Yet, the historical development of the concept, the values
associated with it, and its meaning and relevance in terms of the nature of present day
society, including developing societies such as South Africa, are seldom investigated
and debated. In short, the concept is taken for granted and dealt with as a matter of
course without critical consideration of its content, the values it embodies and its
applicability to modern democracies. From such a point of view, a starting-point for
discussing the role of the media in South Africa could be a critical investigation of
whether the meaning(s) and values attached to the basic concept of "freedom of
expression" are still appropriate today. For the government, it would entail a critical
investigation of the compatibility of the concept of "freedom of expression" with the
developmental role they want the media to play. For the media, it would mean an
investigation into whether their modes of operation, their production of content and
their distribution of information and meaning are still in line with the original values
associated with the development of the concept. Tentative arguments to support this
view are presented in this article.
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