COM3702 PORTFOLIO EXAMINATION 2021

MEDIA POLICY AND REGULATION 2.1 The nature of media and communication policy 2.1.1 Overview of ICT Policy National Integrated ICT Policy White Paper. (2016). The White Paper is an integrated and holistic policy that covers the ICT and postal sectors. It sets out the framework of how government intends to provide access to modern communications structure and services, to enable meaningful participation of all citizens, including those in rural areas. The ICT policy represents a road map guiding South Africa to become an information society and knowledge economy. The worldwide technology revolution makes this policy imperative. The White Paper outlines the main policy framework, for South Africa to transform and include innovative digital and knowledge society. It focuses on merging the modern and traditional modes of communication. [104 words] 2.1.2 The concept of policy as a process Policy as a process is the manner in which it is formed, implemented and evaluated. The process can be broken down into stages, the first one being problem identification which can come from any source. Policymakers need to do their due diligence before they decide on a course of action which is not biased. The second stage is to come up with options for solutions, this list of possible solutions should be exhaustive in order to find the best fit for the problems identified. The solution should be aligned to the organisation’s values. The third stage would be a decision that has to be made before implementation can take place. This decision is made based on the level of support to the solution. The fourth stage in this process is to select the best option and implement it. It is worthy of note that policy implementation has a lot of uncertainty because policies sometimes do fail. The last phase would be evaluation, which means determining how well a policy is working, this is not an easy task. One thing to note though about this stage, is that; it can occur at any time in the policy process, it looks backwards and forward as the case may be. (Olutayo Fasipe [sa]) The ICT is in the ‘decision-making’ stage, according to Minister Siyabonga Cwele (2017) “We are making progress towards implementing the new ICT policy. Our preference for consultation is yielding the desired results because we are edging closer to an agreement on how best we can speedily implement this very important policy,” [260 words] Downloaded by: studyengine | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 3 2.1.3 Identify and discuss the current phase of the National Integrated ICT policy The National Integrated ICT policy is on phase III currently. PAULA GILBERT (2017) The South African government seeks to use ICTs to facilitate faster shared economic growth, improve service delivery and radically transform society. The policy introduces the principles of open internet and the net neutrality framework to ensure that all lawful and legal internet traffic is treated equally, without discrimination, restriction or interference. This will preserve the free internet and pre-empt possible unfair treatment by intermediaries. The White Paper argues the new regime will accommodate more players and open up the market for more competition. There is also focus on ensuring that ICT infrastructure and services are universally accessible and affordable to all citizens, especially people with disabilities. The White Paper foresees two forms of regulators. One focusing on regulation of telecommunications and postal networks and services; and the other focusing on content and audio-visual services. SA News.2017. 19. February [151 words] 3 MEDIA MANAGEMENT 3.1 Strategic media management Strategic management is about decisions of strategic importance for the organisation by top management to formulate and implement goals, based on an assessment of the internal and external environments in which the organization competes. A proper analysis has to be conducted for the successful implementation of any initiatives or goals attainment. This essay will emphasise the importance of a SWOT analyses in assessing a media organisation internally and externally. Firstly, the fit between the internal situation and external conditions which impact on the media organisation will be explored using the SWOT analyses. After which, the focus will be on differences between internal and external assessment of an organisation as well as unpacking the four components of the SWOT analyses. The essay will be concluded by describing the strategic fit between the internal and external conditions. A SWOT analysis is one of the most important strategic tools available to an organisation. The acronym SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The first two variables (SW) are internal to an organisation whereas the last two (OT) are external. The success of a media organisation strategic plan is dependent on the strategic fit between the internal situation and external conditions. The objective of a good strategy would be to increase the strengths, to optimise the opportunities, and to decrease the influence of internal weaknesses Downloaded by: studyengine | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 4 and external threats. (Bardoel and Van Cuilenberg, and Ehlers and Lazenby 2007:111.) The difference between the internal and external assessment is that: the internal assesses the impact on an organisation at a micro level, while the external assesses that impact at a market and macro level. Based on Bardoel and Van Cuilenburg, Ehlers and Lazenby and Cronje 2 (eds). 2018. Media studies: Policy, Management and Media representation The four components of the SWOT analyses: A strength - is a resource or capability that the organisation has in comparison with its competitors. The resource/capability can also give the organisation a competitive advantage. Weaknesses - A weakness can be a lack of, or shortcoming (deficiency) in, a resource that represents a disadvantage to an organisation in comparison with their competitors. Opportunities - An opportunity represents a favourable situation in the organisation's external (market and macro-) environment. Threats - A threat is an unfavourable situation in the external environment of the organisation. The organisation does not have control over what is happening in the external environment. Strategic fit between internal and external conditions is demonstrated by the level which an organization’s resources capacity is met with the opportunities in the external environment. Internal conditions of an organisation are usually determined by an organisation ’s internal resources; organizational capabilities and market position are fundamentally intertwined. Normally, one would attribute abnormal returns to both internal and external conditions faced by an organisation. (Orucho Michael Ngala 2011:12) The essay touched on the need for an organisation to do an internal and external assessment using a SWOT analyses and the four components of this analyses were discussed. The fit between internal situations and external conditions was identified and the differences between the internal and external assessments were established. [509 words] Downloaded by: studyengine | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 5 4 REPRESENTATION 4.1 News as representation The theory of gatekeeping and news flow are intertwined, the flow of news moves through some channels in order to reach the audience, and there are certain areas (that is, gates) within these channels where decisions on what to select and what to discard are continuously made by individual gatekeepers. In this essay, the theory of gate keeping will be interrogated in great detail, to do this; firstly, the flow of news through different channels will be explored. The gates that regulates these channels will be the main focus and the impact they have on the news and the audience. Example were the media makes use of gatekeeping will be presented to give a clear indication of this process. (The University of Twente 2017/02/27) In exercising its "surveillance" function, every news medium has a very large number of stories brought to its attention daily by reporters, and a variety of other sources. Due to a number of practical considerations, only a limited amount of time or space is available in any medium for its daily presentations of the news to its audience. The remaining space must be devoted to advertising and other content. With this being said how much of gate keeping is there? because everyone now is a publisher. Journalists no longer decide what goes public. Information flows unchecked through the internet, filling a multitude of websites, blogs and tweets. All of it flows through social media streams and into our laptops, tablets and smartphones. Everyone who posts, or reshares, a news story on Facebook or retweets a link takes on a role once held by only a powerful few media executives. The problem that emerges today stems from the fact that most social media “publishers” fail to consider the responsibility for what they post. Contrary to some beliefs, gate keeping is necessary because it ensures the credibility of the information that shared and limits fake news. In this day and age of fast paced technology, everyone needs to be their own gate keepers in order to read verified and practice vigilance about the news they read, like the best journalists and publishers of old used to publish. It is not that in the past gate keeper were dependable or consistently apolitical, however took accountability for what they published and it was verifiable. With no filter in the flow of news, audiences are at the mercy of fake news. The channels in which news flowed was explored extensively. The need for gate keeping was identified with everyone being a ‘publisher’ these days. ( Aly Colón 2017: 7) Examples of gate keeping: Gatekeeping by physicians has been both advocated and contested as a way to make health care choices at the level of the individual. A gatekeeper is “a defined point of entry each time care is needed for a health problem”.1 The role of the general practitioner as an “entry point” has been discussed recently by, among other bodies, the World Health Organization.2 The necessity of gatekeeping is usually underscored with three types of arguments: the need to ensure that patients receive appropriate care, the need for budget restraints, and the need for justice in distributing care. During the last few years, normative issues around the gatekeeper role have increasingly received attention. . (University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) [550 words] Downloaded by: studyengine | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 6 4.2 Media and race 4.2.1 Racism Racism is a belief that a particular race is superior than the other, where the inferior race is oppressed by way of discrimination. On the 4 th of January 2016, News24, reported a member of DA, a lady named Penny Sparrow. Her membership was suspended after making a racist comment on her face book page; she compared black people to monkeys just because she witnessed bad behaviour from some black people. The party’s decision to suspend Sparrow was because they do not tolerate racism within the DA and strongly believes it has no place in the democratic South African society. Sparrow would be given an opportunity to appeal the suspension. One of her fellow DA members; Herman Mashaba has laid a crimen injuria charge against Sparrow. [125 words] 4.2.2 Selected social media item Based on this definition of racism, ‘’Racism- may be defined as the hatred of one person by another — or the belief that another person is less than human —‘’ calling someone by an animal is a demonstration of hatred, one deliberately chooses their choice of words to make a point and likening a human being to an animal shows how one views them, in this case; Sparrow views black people as the inferior race. This is individual racisms because it refers to an individual's racist assumptions, beliefs or behaviours and is "a form of racial discrimination that stems from conscious and unconscious, personal prejudice" Individual Racism is connected to/learned from broader socio-economic histories and processes and is supported and reinforced by systemic racism (Henry & Tator, 2006. 329) [126 words] 4.2.3 Social media on racism 4.3 Media and sexual orientation: portrayal of gays and lesbians Oftentimes an individual’s knowledge of gay life is formed almost exclusively through lessons from the media, how gay men and lesbians are portrayed has been an area of intense scrutiny and criticism. In this topic, the representation of sexual orientation will be defined and discussed. Then move on to explore how gays use the pink and rainbow triangle to represent gay pride. The next focus would be on how gays and lesbians are part of the storyline in various soap operas. The topic will be concluded with a discussion on how gays and lesbians are still portrayed as the other. Sexual orientation is a pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, both genders, neither gender, or another gender.[ mazisthebest. 2015] Downloaded by: studyengine | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 7 Up until very recently homosexuals were widely looked down on whilst heterosexual was seen as the ‘normal’ way to be. In the 60’s being gay was even illegal and many gay men would hide it and marry someone of the opposite sex to cover up their homosexuality; even if it made them miserable .It’s unknown where the cruel stereotype of homosexuals as being ‘weird’ or ‘predators’ came from; many people even believed that they were child molesters and that gay teachers would groom children The theorist Tessa Perkins said that there is an element of truth in every stereotype; and this relates to the stereotypes about sexuality. Gay women are often – but not always – ‘manly’ or ‘butch’. They can dress and act like men and this is the way that they are often represented in the media. Use of the rainbow flag by the gay community began in 1978 when it first appeared in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. This is to demonstrate solidarity and unity for a common cause, and to graphically represent their vision, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups. The pink triangle is easily one of the more popular and widely-recognized symbols for the gay community. The pink triangle is rooted in World War II times, and reminds us of the tragedies of that era. Although homosexuals were only one of the many groups targeted for extermination by the Nazi regime, it is unfortunately the group that history often excludes. (ALGBTICAl… ) In the following short South African films, ‘Nomalanga and the witch and While you weren’t looking’ amongst others, the gay and lesbians are still portrayed as discovering themselves and coming out. The narrative is still conforming to the norms of the society, where homosexuality is not perceived normal. These films show people who were not gay turning gay or discovering that they are actually gay and how they are conflicted about coming out. The fact that the gays and lesbians are still portrayed as ‘’others’’ means they are still frowned upon and alienated or ignored. Whenever there are representation of homosexuality in the media, it to emphasis the abnormality of this sexual orientation. Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are still under-represented in much of the main stream media, but things are slowly changing for the better. Tolerance of sexual diversity is slowly growing in society. More and more people are coming out and are not afraid because homosexuality is the new norm. Sexual orientation was defined and stereotypes that comes from them were defined. Then the history of the pink and the rainbow triangle was explored and what it represented. The topic was concluded with way gays and lesbians are part of the film storyline. (LinkedIn learning. 2013) [577 words] Downloaded by: studyengine | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 8 4.4 Media and HIV/AIDS 4.4.1 Summary of health campaign My selected campaign is the ‘’OneLove’’ campaign. This is aimed at reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS specifically in the Sub Saharan Africa. The campaign emphasises social behaviour change, which enforces healthy sexual lifestyles, by promoting the need to have one sexual partner. Having multiple partners is one of the high causes of HIV/AIDS. Research has shown that multiple concurrent partners (MCP) is common amongst the youth and adults. Culture is also the biggest driver behind MCP because it reinforces the fact that it is acceptable to have more than one wife. This campaign was no longer run in South Africa only, but in 8 other regional countries; namely: Malawi, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The response to the campaign good, because it increase the number of condom usage as research had shown. Soul City OneLove Campaign.2012. [139 words] 4.4.2 Health communication and communication context Health communication is the study and practice of communicating promotional health information, such as in public health campaigns, health education, and between doctor and patient. The purpose of disseminating health information is to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy. ( The communication context to which this campaign adheres to is the mass media because it aims at promoting the reduction of HIV/AIDS with its target audience. The vehicles that are used to carry this message are: TV, radio and booklets, school based programmes and adult training in communities. [90 words] 4.4.3 Media Advocacy Media advocacy is the strategic use of news making through TV, radio and newspapers to promote public debate, and generate community support for changes in community norms and policies. Advocating for the goals of safe, healthy and prosperous communities. (Alcohol Policy MD….2016) Lobbying key traditional, community and media personalities to advocate for OneLove in their communities Media round tables to discuss HIV and MCP Opinion articles by Soul City published in print media TV and radio interviews with Soul City OneLove campaign managers Advocacy training campaign for all staff including partners