2. CHAPTER ONE: The Role of Media Reports in the Case Study

The study is a manifestation of news items, portraying ANC Governance through the eyes of the media. It could serve as a mirror reflecting the converged observations of the media i.e. a categorize outline of what they perceive South Africa and the rest of the world MUST know about the ANC Government.

South Africans often start their day with the morning news or front page of a newspaper and conclude it with the late night news. Newspapers, television channels, radio stations, electronic media sources and other information media work 24/7 to satisfy an insatiable and often greedy “need to know”; keeping the public informed in a surveillance-type way on the “what, who, where, when, why and how” of the ANC Government .
In a democracy, the unimpeded flow of information, ideas and opinions is not only necessary and crucial, but also a fundamental human right. The media as watchdog of political democracy does excellent work to feed its target audience with what it MUST know.
 
Media Sources:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ehow.com%2Finfo_8219489_role-print-media-society.html&ei=7zSJUKibMo2XhQe52IGYCA&usg=AFQjCNEU5cQvssRExOkHYVDM2hEf1fpPtw&sig2=cOLzyA3eFFA3H-W_L63aPg

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.india-forums.com%2Fforum_posts.asp%3FTID%3D1358274&ei=sDWJUKK7FsGnhAfzwIDoCA&usg=AFQjCNELNkJqbUWqB4dVt0WJJwklZ2dKwQ&sig2=jY2Fl1sM8t0kNWwygmW7yw

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&ved=0CDQQFjAAOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kas.de%2Fwf%2Fdoc%2F4212-1442-2-30.pdf&ei=LTeJULTICcWIhQfDx4H4Bg&usg=AFQjCNEEq4BCmVDhDghCC3TgsGUkDRvjxg&sig2=6OEbdAj-_Vkmu0pefNod-w

 

This publication is in essence a media study, with information from local and international sources integrated into a theoretical framework, which provides focus and facilitates classification. It also allows media reports to “speak” in a systemized manner, through the theoretical base.

Government actions and behaviour determine the nature of information the media conveys to the public. Positive behaviour, typical to the early days of the “New South Africa”, inspires “positive” news items. Negative behaviour such as corruption, bribery, poor service delivery, in-fighting, shortcomings in education, failure in health services, inevitably brings about “negative” reports.

The information inputs of the study represent a combination of popular “hard copy” and web-based news papers, news broadcasts, electronic news media, news journal programmes, web-based information banks and actuality reports.