Fourteen years down the line, the latestindicators of ownership of print media in South Africa still show consolidation by the conglomerates that largely control commercial print presses: Independent Newspapers, Avusa Communications and NASPERS/Media24. This is a global trend, as we also see the “Big Six”1 which dominates international media; Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, Time Warner, Vivendi, Disney, Viacom and Bertelsmann. 

 

Although the number of newspapers and magazines has increased significantly in our country, and some cosmetic changes have been made in order to be seen to be moving with the times, this has mostly been done to attract a vast number of readers, specifically blacks.  The strategy has worked in boosting mass circulations. The number of media outlets has grown since 1994, ranging from the mainstream dailies, weeklies, magazines, commercial grassroots newspapers and community newspapers.  But is it engaging with society, especially the previously marginalised, to act as a forum of vigorous exchange of views and varied ideas that can enrich the democratic process and contribute to the building of a progressive democratic society? Is it reflective of the diverse languages of South Africa and the demographics of our country? 

 

The diversity of the media is a prerequisite for a flourishing democracy.  The SA media landscape is dominated by two giant media companies (SABC and Naspers) and three medium-sized (Avusa, formerly Johncom, Independent and Caxton), writes Prof. Anton Harber in Business Day, 20 February 2008. In a detailed analysis of the extent to which the media are dominated by a handful of giant companies, Prof. Harber says size and strength can be a blessing. He also refers to next-level media companies, which he largely attributes to the empowerment requirements imposed on new broadcasting licenses. These include Kagiso Media, HCI, AME, Primedia, etc.

Onkgopotse J.J. Tabane argues that in order to achieve diversity, we need to transform the ownership of media assets. “This proceeds from the premise that editorial and commercial interests are intertwined. The role of media within the concept of media democracy broadly encompasses the following notions: that the health of the democratic political system depends on the efficient, accurate, and complete transmission of social, political, and cultural information in society; that the media are the conduits of this information and should act in the public interest; that the mass media have increasingly been unable and uninterested in fulfilling this role due to increased concentration of ownership and commercial pressures; and that this undermines democracy as voters and citizens are unable to participate knowledgeably in public policy debates.  Without an informed and engaged citizenry, policy issues become defined by political and corporate elites. A related element of this concept examines the lack of representation of a  diversity of voices and viewpoints, particularly of those who have traditionally been marginalized by mass media”.2

 

Tabane further quotes Peter Bruce in the book, South Africa: The Good News where he writes, “The press (in SA) is free and I know get extremely angry with Editors, journalists and armchair commentators who somehow believe the media in South Africa is being squeezed by Government. It  isn’t. As Editors we are freer now than at probably any time in the history of journalism in this country.”3

 

Earlier this month, Thami Mazwai, Director of the University of Johannesburg Centre for Small and Medium Enterprise Development (Business Day, Tuesday April 1 2008), again pointed out that substantial
portions of the black community (including the intelligentsia) believe that “black issues” do not receive enough attention in the print media (especially) or are relegated to the background in the name of inclusivity. These developments, or lack thereof, like the lack of focused coverage of transformational  efforts, reconstruction, and development, have prompted the ANC to consider setting up its own newspaper, to sell the party’s vision of development issues in civil society’s market of ideas. 

 

Under normal circumstances, this shouldn’t be the case, given the broad spectrum of daily, weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines South Africa has in circulation. The numbers of print titles suggest a healthy diversity of voices in the media, a myriad of voices, giving rise to a hundred schools of thought. These platforms give the illusion of a healthy diversity of voices and vibrant communication amongst all, which, together with other forms of media, should be contributing to a healthy margin of development and transformation in our society.  Rather than concentrate on their key roles of providing a platform for social interaction and feeding into sustainable development, support and engaging citizens in creating a dynamic society, most of our media have modeled themselves as watchdogs, unrelenting in their criticism of the ruling party and the government. 

 

There are exceptions to the rule of course, where some of the print media campaigns have had a huge impact on educating, changing perceptions and giving people access to information that has changed lives. The Sunday Times page that is dedicated to informing  people about HIV and AIDS has contributed greatly to helping people face and deal with the ravages of HIV and AIDS in our society. The human stories and testing campaigns have removed some of the stigma attached to the disease. By giving people a platform to tell their stories, the Sunday Times has  also encouraged people from all sectors of life to talk freely about a subject that was previously taboo. It also removed the long held myth that HIV and AIDS is a “grassroots problem”, as it was previously  referred to by others.  Because of these ongoing campaigns, amongst other interventions, HIV/AIDS is no longer a silent killer. 

 

The Star newspaper has also made its mark with their Learn and Read sections that help learners from all walks of life catch up with their school subjects,even when they’re out of the classroom.  These supplements, together with the exam publications the Star distributes at the end of the year, promote social interaction among students, especially those who are about to write their matric exams. This is a crucial social service, and it contributes to many learners’ development and marks a crucial rite of passage into their future as productive members of society. 

 

Both these examples portray the good role our media plays in creating and driving sustainable development. To be on par with the rest of the democratic countries of the world, they still need to cover these bases in their daily reportage:

These including empowering and informing the poor and rural communities in languages of their choice  (including and prioritizing indigenous languages); rural development, reflecting the diverse demographics of our landscape; aid in nation building by restoring pride and dignity to impoverished communities; assisting in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, etc. 

 

The Internet, considered a New Media, since it’s been in use for just over a decade, is also achieving some prominence as a platform for communication, because it provides greater opportunities for a larger number of people to publish their views, news and other information for mass consumption. Both traditional media institutions and web-only news providers have set up a presence on the web. This hasn’t had much impact on the South African media environment, as, since most of the news content on the web is generated from wire services, there isn’t much diversity. Also, alternative sources of information on the web in South Africa do not yet have
substantial reach or impact. Traditional media institutions, particularly print, still have an advantage over other online news providers because they already have significant news generation capacity.  Even social interaction, which can result in more people being empowered to take control of their lives, is minimal, confined only to those who can access the Internet. Until the commitment to building and broadening  access to information and communication technology infrastructure like broadband is realized, access to the Internet by all, in particular rural and poor schools, clinics, etc. remains a challenge for our country. It is therefore promising to hear the President (Pres. Mbeki) in his State of the Nation Address 8 February 2008, say: “... cutting across these plans, and therefore a critical priority is information and  communications technology both as a facilitator and a sector in its own right.”

This is where the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) finds itself at this present moment. It is a statutory development agency for supporting, promoting and ensuring media development and  diversity, set up as a partnership between the South African Government and major print and broadcasting companies to assist in (amongst others) developing community and small commercial media in South Africa. It was established in 2003, in terms of MDDA Act, No 14 of 2002 and started providing grant funding to projects on the 29th January 2004. 

 

Community media and small commercial media are MDDA’s focus areas of support, as we strongly believe that each and every South African citizen should have access to a choice of a diverse range of media. We believe in building an environment where diverse, vibrant and creative media flourishes and reflects the needs of all South Africans. These two values, which we cherish greatly and work at tirelessly, are meant to bring about continuous  communication amongst all citizens of South Africa at their different levels, which is the cornerstone of transformation and development for all. 

 

The commitment and hard work of the staff at the MDDA has seen funding approvals amounting to R55m, which has increased the number of beneficiary projects to 172, as at January 2008.  The agency has provided 49 bursaries to different radio and print media practitioners, provided mentorship and training programmes, done some research work, all in pursuit of delivering on its mandate to facilitate media development and diversity in South Africa. The recipients of grants go back to their communities and create platforms for the community to voice their social and economic needs and help find the solutions. 

 

This has been evident in communities where the MDDA has been received well, gained the trust of the community and gotten down to working. When formerly marginalized communities get the right support, transformation and development take centre stage, thus immediately enhancing the quality of life in that particular community. This form of social interaction, brought about by funding, capacity building programmes, and the tools of support that the MDDA enables, empowers people to take control of their personal lives, shape their future as they see fit, with the help of the mediums they have access to, and completely transform their communities.

Community radio stations, one of South Africa’s post 1994 highlights in respect of community media, are experiencing revolutionary growth at the moment.  In South Africa, radio broadcasting (community radio in particular) is viewed as one of the most viable mediums and mechanisms, resources or support structures that can provide both formal and informal education, which will build an information society and help narrow and, hopefully, eradicate information and technological gaps between the rural and urban community, the haves and the have nots, the advantaged and disadvantaged.5

“The historical philosophy of community radio is to use this medium as the voice of the voiceless, the mouthpiece of oppressed people (be it on racial, gender, or class grounds) and generally as a tool for development.”6 

 

Under the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), a number of commercial and community radio stations have been granted licenses to broadcast. This move on its own is a milestone for these communities. Starting from the sale of a number of former SABC stations, the licensing of Greenfields commercial radio stations, the growth of community radio stations, and the  growth of public radio stations, the radio broadcasting environment has opened up significantly and radio listening trends inform us of formerly marginalised communities that are exercising their right to communication in a medium of their choice. 

 

Likewise with television broadcasting – though at a slower pace, as some communities like the Alfred Nzo Districts, Ukhahlamba Districts, Greater Tubatse  municipality, etc. still do not have access to television and the language spread on television is not the same as in radio. With the licensing of new subscription broadcasting services and the advent of digital broadcasting, it is hoped that more communities will have access to these services. 

 

Sections 16 and 32 of the Constitution Act of 1996 provide for the freedom of the press and other media, freedom of expression and access to information. 

 

South Africa is not alone in fighting challenges around media’s commitment to fulfilling its rightful role, which is to reach the wider public, the government and the private sector with quality content and extensive information. The first step is to acknowledge that you’re addressing a diverse audience and being sensitive to their needs. These are the same challenges faced by the world over.  Language diversity and cultural diversity are hard to quantify, one can only count the number of languages spoken in a country/region. Research done by David Crystal (Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor) in the 1990s revealed that, on average, one language  worldwide was falling into disuse every two weeks. He calculated that if the rate of language death were to continue, then by the year 2100 more than 90% of the languages currently spoken in the world would have gone extinct.

 

For the South African media to have a major impact on development and transformation, we need to look at the ways in which we communicate: when, where and how. For the communication field to be leveled, all 11 languages need to have a proud place in all forms of media.  A louder debate is needed in the South African society as to what we understand to be critical, independent and diverse media. At present, the Constitution Act 108 of 1996, the Language Act 59 of 1995 and the National Language Policy Framework is a guide, and although there has been vigorous campaigning for communication to be in all 11 languages, the momentum hasn’t quite peaked yet. 

 

There is an urgent need to look at how issues of development and transformation can be included in the national debate. Apart from just defining the criteria being looked at, there must also be a realistic set of goals and objectives. Analysis must then be applied to changes in ownership, staffing, conceptions of the political role of journalism, media content, innovation, creativity and audiences. 

 

All of this, of course, should be done with sensitivity to commercial growth in the media sector. Community media and community journalism also need to be revisited as they are the key vehicle towards transformation and development of communities. Media in general should empower people rather than treat them as passive consumers, and nurture local knowledge rather than replace it with standard solutions. Media has a critical role in South Africa’s efforts to push back the frontiers of poverty. 

 

The conclusion is that overall there has been substantial transformation in the media, and that the changes have been far greater than the  continuities. As a result, the media is well placed to make further contributions to deracialisation, human rights, social justice, democratisation and development in South Africa. 

 

The partnership between the established media of South Africa and the Government to support media development and diversity is a unique example of the public private partnership in pursuit of a noble cause that benefits society at large. It is hoped that this commitment would be strengthened, ensuring that each and every South African  citizen has access to a choice of a diverse range of media. The MDDA efforts are thanks to the funding from the government through the Presidency and GCIS, as well as from major commercial media  entities, like Caxton (Pty) Ltd, Independent Newspaper Group, Johncom (now called AVUSA), Kagiso Media, Media 24, Midi Pty Ltd (etv), M-Net, PRIMEDIA Pty Ltd and the SABC. 

 

It is hoped that the newly licensed broadcasting services (Telkom Media, Multichoice Africa, On Digital Media, E-Sat, Walking on Water TV, Capricorn FM, M-Power Radio and Radio North West) and other media groups will join the hands of the MDDA in assisting the building of an environment where a diverse, vibrant and creative media flourishes and reflects the needs of all South Africans.