Vol 26, No 2 (2007)

In 2004, Daniel Hallin and Paolo Mancini published a landmark work of media theory entitled
Comparing media systems: three models of media and politics. The theory, like the models it
makes use of, has a high degree of relevance for South African media scholars. Primarily, the
theory investigates the relationship between the state and the media, an interconnection of profound
significance in the South African context, yet one that has not been explored sufficiently by scholars.
This article, which focuses primarily on South Africa’s print media sector, sets out the parameters,
major dimensions and some indicators of the Three Models paradigm. It then presents recent
research in which the theory is applied to South Africa. It concludes that South Africa’s media
system falls largely into the Polarised Pluralist model though it retains strong liberal model traits

There seems to be consensus amongst scholars that reputation management rests on a foundation
of corporate communication, and it is moreover believed that the chief executive officer (CEO) is
the perceived owner and defender of an organisation’s reputation (Hutton, Goodman, Alexander
& Genest, 2001: 248 and Gonring 2004: 12).
Since corporate reputation and values instilled through internal corporate communication reverberate
outside organisations (Roberts, 2004), the CEO should utilise internal corporate communication
effectively to enhance his/her and the company’s reputation among employees as a stakeholder.
The research problem that prompted this research has, therefore, been formulated as: Does the
internal corporate communication programme of the CEO of the ABC Group have any significance
for middle management employees’ perception of the reputation of the organisation? The aim of
the study is to illustrate the link between the internal corporate communication programme of an
organisation's CEO and middle management employees' perception of the reputation of the
organisation.
A pragmatic research approach was adopted for this study, and two communication theories – the
systems theory and in particular the interrelatedness aspect thereof, and the flow of information
aspects of the information theory (Bowers & Courtright, 1984: 23) - were used as the conceptual
premise of the study. Based on the fact that the nature of the study is interpretative, a combined
qualitative-quantitative research approach was employed for the collection, analysis and representation
of data. The study concurs with the finding that the internal corporate communication programme
of the CEO of the ABC Group does in fact have significance for middle management employees’
perception of the reputation of the organisation

This article sets out to explore what it is to live in the postmodern age as an 'individual', that is,
as someone with a distinct sense of self. Consideration is given both to the possibility that individuals
today, in the context of globalisation, may not have such a distinct sense of personal 'identity', and
also to what it is to have an identity. These questions are explored in relation to the so-called
postmodern subject – or the subject in the age of globalisation, the age of hypercommunication,
or of 'informatization' – which one may assume to be constituted very differently from the 'modern'
subject of the 19th-century, or even more radically differently from premodern subjects. One could
say that what Hardt and Negri regard as distinctive for postmodernity – informatisation, made
possible by advanced communications technology – is inseparable from the 'identity' of postmodern
individuals. Moreover, Derrida's insistence that the communications technology characteristic of
an era embodies a change in subjectivity (and hence, in identity), points to a significant clue
regarding the identity of postmodern subjects. The aim of the present article is therefore to explore
what all of these divergent considerations mean with regard to the issue of identity in the
contemporary world – whether one has reason to believe that identity has evaporated in the flux
of postmodern life, or if some of the theoretical perspectives invoked here enable one to affirm
the continued legitimacy of talking about identity today

The continued success of entertainment education programmes around the world has seen an
increase in the use of theatre for HIV/AIDS interventions. Both UNAIDS and UNESCO recommend
the use of such cultural strategies for HIV/AIDS awareness. A brief survey of current evaluations
in this field reveals such projects in Kenya, Angola, Mozambique, the Netherlands and Honduras,
amongst other countries. Forum theatre is reported as being used as a technique to deepen
understanding of HIV/AIDS issues in programmes in Georgia, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and South
Africa (The Communication Initiative, 2007).
This paper explores the application of participatory theatre techniques in a South African factory
environment in 2003. It investigates the conditions and context for the project, some of the theoretical
underpinnings of the forum theatre concept, and the reception of the project by the factory audience.
Essentially, the paper seeks to determine whether forum theatre is an appropriate strategy to use
for HIV/AIDS awareness in this environment.

This article deals with communication problems in intercultural communication in the workplace.
Findings from this study have practical implications for developers of both intercultural and language
courses. The research established that a beckoning gesture commonly used by white people is
regarded as offensive by most blacks. At the same time many whites are unaware of non-verbal
politeness markers signalled by means of kinetics. What whites interpret as "blunt" requests (often
regarded as demands) can be ascribed to different norms of communication in African languages.
These findings have implications for successful intercultural communication in an industrial society.
Awareness of differences in verbal and non-verbal behaviour (termed mutual ignorance by Reagan)
needs to be included in training for all members of the multicultural workforce.