Media Policy Essay

1.1 Paradigms of communication conjecture polityFourie J P (200818) defines paradigms of communications rule _or_ system of g everyplacening body as consensus among indemnity recognisers as farther near as the basics argon interested on which they will base their developing of a polity. there atomic number 18 trey most popular paradigms of communications insurance policy which originated from the most advanced societies of North the States and westerly Europe. These paradigms can be adopted to explain the advent and development of communications policy in countries such as entropy Africa.1.1.1 Emerging communications industry policyCommunications policy during this season (pre 1940s) was dominated by telecommunications policy with stress on communication technologies that were new at that prison term in advanced societies of the Western world. Such technologies included telegraphy, teleph one(a) and tuner receiver broadcast medium. In s protrudeheastern Afr ica, appear communications industries such as these were considered as macrocosm utilities that could not be left in the consecrates of private communication players.This view, thence guided the formulation and implementation of most communication policies leading to state monopoly in telecommunication industries. However there is an argument that in conspiracy Africa such monopoly was seen as a tool of colonisation as policy formulation was guided by re rigorousing the masses and entrenching the colonisers political orientation. The Postal Act(1958) and The b argon Act are perfect morals of emerging communications industry policy in southwesterly Africa.1.1.2 Public overhaul media policyAfter the Second World warfare in 1945,most judicatures changed their communications policy guidance from a caseistic and stinting opinion toa socio-political stress. Independence, democracy and diversity were introduced as communications policy determinants. However this was not the case in most African countries which were still under the control of their colonisers. South Africa was no variant. More so during the succession of Apartheid . Media policy in South Africa during this period, was do by the political and not by social consequences of the time. An example is that of the growth of the SABC in the 1960s and 1970s when a mess of radio stations broadcasting in different languages were established.However, public media policy which inflexible tower policy of public media during this time, was seen as turning the same public media into the blab piece of the Nationalist Party (NP). in that respectfore, one can argue that the public media policy in South Africa during the period of apartheid was not close social or antiauthoritarian development but was about furthering the ideas of the NP government. Erasmus F (2004) sums up this view by saying, an new(prenominal) development in the piece half of the 1970s was the introduction of goggle box in So uth Africa after the government had prevented this for a number of years. This mass spiritualist was wantwise considered to be controlled by government, thereby promoting the NPs political ideology.1.1.3 vernal media policyIn this paradigm, the latest of the three, there is a swift move from the old emphasis on political and social perspectives creation the determinants of media policy. The third element of economic opposition is now a major agentive design in media policy formulation in the 21st century. Privatisation, innovation and demand excite changed the views on public media policy. InSouth Africa, new media policy is largely responsible for(p) for the changes that become occurred in the telecommunications and broadcasting industries since the landed estate attained independence.Telkoms monopoly was ended by the changes in regularizations that allowed new fixed delineate operators like Neotel to enter the market. The same has happened to the SABC.The monopoly th at the interior(a) broadcaster enjoyed for a long time ended when policy changes opened up position for new broadcasters like M-net and E-TV. New media policy is driven mostly by demand and economic development earlier than by supply and monopolies.1.2 liberty of the mediaDemocracy, the liberty of panorama and the functions of media in baseball club are three intertwined elements that can hardly be separated. These elements have to co-exist in unison if society is to develop as easy as have sex in peace and harmony. Freedom of patois is a right that is set in motion in a lot of countriesconstitutions,South Africa world one such country.However, independence of recipe is not a given. It is a controversial subordinate that ever causes friction between governments and the media. There are a lot of nemesiss to immunity of chemical formula in South Africa and the debates on the wishing or the lack of it commonly hinge on the handsomedom of the media. Questions are r aised as to whether such threats are exceptified or unwarranted.1.2.1 The need for license of formulaFreedom of nerve is a right that is enshrined in the constitution of South Africa. This exemption goes hand in hand with the exemption as well as the role of media in society. These elements cannot be separated. In republican societies like South Africa, the need for freedom of expression cannot be over-emphasised. The media acts as the custodian of society and plays an oversight role when it comes to holding government officials to account. Freedom of expression is a pre-requisite in some(prenominal) democratic society in order to make sure that public officials do not get away with corruption, maladministration and lack of service delivery by means of silencing or denying space to those that test to speak out about these social ills. Denying society freedom of expression leads to tension that can boil over into chaos and social unrest.1.2.2 Threats to itAs a great deal as freedom of expression is considered a constitutional right in m any democratic countries, including South Africa, this right is always under constant threat from a number of sections of society. The major threat to freedom of expression emanates from the government, with its policies that control the flow of reading and regulations that deter the free access to and effect of instruction. Patriotic media that is under the control and modulate of government is also another threat to freedom of expression. In South Africa, the SABC as a national broadcaster, is expected to be non-partisan and impartial. However due to the broadcaster creation under the control of the government, there have been a lot of questions asked with regards to its impartiality.Freedom of expression has been supressed in the way in which the SABC executes its editorial policy. Views that are deemed to be in demarcation with the current governments ideology have been prevented from being broadcast on SABC TV and radio platforms. Journalists have sometimes been coerce to tore a sure line of ideology and have been prevented from doing their jobs in an objective and impartial manner. An example is that of a journalist on pipe FM, Sakina Kamwendo,who was forced to cancel a discussion on the ANCs Mangaung Conference on her steer by her employers at the SABC as they claimed the luff lacked balance and f subscriber lineness.Julie Reid sums up this point in her article in the Daily temporary by saying, Last year the SABC taboo the Big Debate talk portray, an sensitive current affairs programme that realise a reputation for holding government officialsto account on thorny issues like corruption or non-delivery of services.Hlaudi Motsoeneng, ill-famed for his insistence on the production of 70% good news remains at his post, continuing the facilitation of the Hlaudification of news1.2.3 If , how and why such threats can or cannot be do The issue of the freedom of expression, odd ly in the media, and threats to its execution within democratic societies is a contentious one. The discussion around it, is propulsive and never ending. Some sections of society especially those in power, who are normally the ones who seek to monitor and regulate the media, believe that it is obligatory not to allow the media to have free reign where the nature and flow of learning will go on without any regulation by the government. On the other hand, the media itself, especially private media, is against the idea of strict policies being introduced to regulate the flow of information as this is seen as a come up to attack on the freedom ,not just of the media but that of expression as well.However, the media as an industry and platform upon which freedom of speech is manifested, does understand and appreciate that some form of regulation has to take place in order to preserve the validity of the media being the fourth estate and prevent national security threats as well as in vasion of privacy. It is in this light that the issues of international and inhering regulation come into play.In dealing with arguments that explain why the threats to media freedom cannot be motivated, one has to do so within the context of freedom of expression being a constitutional right.Democraticy as a system is mostly dependent on how society thrives socially, politically and economically. For this to happen, freedom of speech has to be takenas a fundamental element that has to be seriously considered in policy formulation. conquer freedom of expression through Draconian and authoritarian policies and regulations is a recipe that culminates in a failed democracy. For democracy to function, freedom of expression and more so, freedom of the media has to exist.Roelofse (199651-53) in Fourie (200834) clarifies how freedom of expression enhances developments such as the derail in democracy, religious freedom and economic emancipation through the press that assumes a role of mass medium.It is worth noting that out of the three theories used in poring over the role of the media in society, the libertarian theory insists on viewing people as rational number beings capable of distinguishing between truth and prevarication and between good and evil (Fourie 2008 34).Therefore, the issue of strict policies to regulate the media and stifle freedom of expression are needless and cannot be justified and motivated. As McQuail (198789) in Fourie (200834) notes in the basic assumptions of the libertarian theory, the media should be free from any external censorship and there should be no force or bullying to publish anything.The behaviour of the SABC bosses in the Metro FM story can hence not be justified if this theory is applied because intervening and gagging the talk show was tantamount to denying the public their right to air or listen to different views on the Mangaung conference. In dealing with this contentious exit of media freedom and regulation, i t must be state that the freedom of expression that is incorporated into the freedom of the media, cannot be viwed as an unlimited right. There are responsibilities that go with it.It is at this juncture that the regulation of the media can be motivated and justified. This regulation can emanate from outdoors media organisations therefore being called external or it can be informal which fashion the regulation comes from within the media institutions themselves.Fourie(200873) explains that in South Africa, media regulation has gradually moved away from being more externally modulate and has shown a more emphasis towards inseparable regulation. Internal regulation takes place in different ways. It can be through the involvement of gatekeepers, regulators, directorates and boards of media organisations or institutionalised internal regulation by non-governmental as well as professional bodies. Gate keepers and regulators are people or groups of people that finalise on the cont ent of particular media and consider which content is relevant and how it is going to be published or broadcast. Fourie (200878) refers to internal regulation by gatekeepers and regulators as implicit internal regulation.This regulation occurs through the medium itself. Implicit internal regulation happens when different sections within or sectors involved with the medium twine the publication or broadcasting of information. Such sections include boards of directors of media institutions, editors, advertisers, consumers, journalists, etcetera.These regulators cannot be unattended as they have the power to influence content substantially. A good example is that of acting SABC operations chief and radio group executive who took a purpose not to allow a live talk show hosted by Sakina Kamwendo on Metro FM to go ahead.