Define the word media and give three example of media in south africa .furthermore ,motivate why a study of media is important in a democratic country like south africa
Answers
Answer:
The word ‘media’ comes from Latin. Media is the term used to collectively refer to all mediums of mass communication. It includes broadcasting and publishing mediums.
South Africa, like other democratic nations, too has its national media. The three examples of media in South Africa are the same as the examples that one would find elsewhere in the world, namely newspapers and magazines (print media), TV (broadcasting media) and the internet (which is part publishing and part broadcasting media).
Explanation:
A study of media in a country like South Africa is important from various perspectives:
Historically speaking, the South African media has fought against the government and apartheid, for a very long period of time. During the turbulent times, they watched the government and reported uprisings until during the Emergency, the media was banned altogether. The present day however is very different. Sadly enough, the media is not really a watchdog anymore. Instead, now, with government funding, many media houses have become government loyalists, like The New Age Newspaper and the ANN7 TV channel were. The news that is broadcast is done because it is in the interest of the governments, and not because it is of use to the citizens. So, the integrity of media in South Africa has come under attack.
From an economic perspective, many people are moving away from traditional forms of media, like newspapers, to the more tech savvy forms, which are mainly internet based. It is more convenient for people, but it is causing a sharp decline in the profit margins of the media companies. As a result, the companies have lesser funds at their disposal. This has in turn reduced the scope of investigative journalism. With little effort being put into uncovering the truth, the very existence of media has become questionable.
Additionally, the mass media is supposed to be inclusive, meant to cater to the masses. However, not all sections of society get sufficient coverage. South African media has failed to appeal to the youth and some marginalized groups, which further adds to their alienation from the mainstream. The point to be considered here is whether the media needs to be able to give people from such categories a platform to voice their opinions, or should the media continue to report only the mainstream stories.
Reasons like these throw up a lot of questions regarding:
1. the role and responsibility of the media and
2. the government’s role in letting it be an independent entity.
A study of the media of any country will expose the degree of corruption in the government and the political, social and religious state of that particular nation.
Answer:
Media can be simply termed as an agency for communicating the masses.
Explanation:
News papers, magazines, internet and more are the example of media. When considering media in South Africa we can conclude how important and how dangerous to be working in media is. Like in many countries, South Africa’s freedom for the press is directly proportional to the pressure from the government. When it comes to South Africa the pressure from the government seems tripled than other nations. There are so much of evidences like life threats, imprisonments and murders of journalists to express how the freedom of press is being oppressed in South Africa.
Apart from tons of life threats prevailing each day over some brave journalists and media it doesn’t seem to bother the enthusiasm of the people who love to study journalism in South Africa. Most of the people believe that media is the most important thing in South Africa. Because they believe that a pen can change the world while a sword can’t.