Changing the Fourth Estate

Essays on South African journalism

South Africa offers a rich context for the study of the interrelationship between the media and identity. The essays collected here explore the many diverse elements of this interconnection, and give fresh focus to topics that scholarship has tended to overlook, such as the pervasive impact of tabloid newspapers. Interrogating contemporary theory, the authors shed new light on how identities are constructed through the media, and provide case studies that illustrate the complex process of identity renegotiation taking place currently in post-apartheid South Africa. The contributors include established scholars as well as many new voices. Collectively, they represent some of South Africas finest media analysts pooling skills to grapple with one of the countrys most vexing issues: who are we?

The rise of commercialism poses many challenges to the integrity of the South African media in the post-1994 era. To maintain profitability, many publications have developed a range of strategies to attract advertising, in particular, developing the content that advertisers most desire - content that creates what Herman and Chomsky called a buying mood for their products. These include niched supplements, special sections and advertorial pages (surveys) as well as a new trend in paid-for content in the South African print media, identified in this study: the development of a third arm.

This study provides an overview of relevant legislation in South Africa, pre- and post-1994, as well as a review of global trends in small media development. The report identifies interests common to small independent and community media groupings and examines ways to promote their sustainability.

Seven contributors explore the complex interface between the media and democracy. They consider legislative and policy environments necessary for the media to play a meaningful role in building democracy. While the book focus on south Africa, two contributors provide international perspectives on questions pertinent to media today.