The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
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Progressive change can only come about once power relations change in society change, argued SACSIS Columnist, Richard Pithouse, at a roundtable discussion co-hosted by SACSIS and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa Office.
The fact of the matter is that the media is a commercial enterprise and thus influenced by an unconscious ideological bias related to being able to secure advertising revenue as well as holding on to a particular market -- and there is a structural limitation to...
SACSIS Columnist, Prof. Jane Duncan, highlights a case of police brutality against members of an impoverished community that is not being reported by the media. She made these remarks at a roundtable discussion co-hosted by SACSIS and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa Office.
The roundtable discussion, which examined the media's perspective of the South African economy, put the following questions to editors: Is the economy on the right growth path? What are the prospects for making...
Mondli Makhanya, the Editor in Chief of Avusa Media and Chairman of SANEF, argues that contrary to the commonly held view that the media is selective about the voices it amplifies, the media provides a great platform for a broad range of views on the economy.
While Makhanya argued that the media offered a space for people with various viewpoints, he contended that the left was not proactive enough about getting its views into newspapers.
He also said that advertisers held no sway...
Dr. Essop Pahad, former minister in the South African presidency and Editor of The Thinker, a political journal argues that the media could be on the side for progressive change. He contends that the media can take a position linked to an ideological viewpoint.
Pahad challenged Mondli Makhanya's assertion that the media is not influenced by advertisers.
Pahad made these remarks at a roundtable discussion co-hosted by SACSIS and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa Office.
The...
SACSIS columnist, Liepollo Pheko contends that there absolutely nothing wrong with having a subjective opinion of social justice.
Pheko also challenged editor Mondli Makhanya's assertion that the media accommodates a wide range of views. She argued that it is incredibly difficult to get alternative views into the media.
"It's incredibly difficult to get 'different' articles into the media…this whole notion that you are welcome, just send us an email, just pop your article...
SACSIS columnist, Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen, argues that progressive activists should be given a fair chance to get their views into newspapers.
Hassen provides an example of how newspapers ignore civil society's views. Civil society raised concerns about aluminium smelters and their burden on South Africa's (SA's) electricity supply as far back as the year 2000, but they were ignored by the media. More recently, however, when the CEO of a bank said that the way to solve SA's electricity crisis...
