The Rand Daily Mail and the 1976 Soweto Riots. An examination of the tradition of Liberal journalism in South Africa as illustrated by The Rand Daily Mail coverage of the Soweto uprising on June 6 1976
Date
2006-11-08T12:47:46Z
Authors
Keogh, Samantha
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Abstract
This research examined the notion of liberal journalism in South Africa during apartheid
as practiced at the RDM. It considered whether the paper, facing government scrutiny and
restrictive laws, adhered to the principals of liberal journalism and how successfully it did
so. The 1976 Soweto Uprising was used to assess the newspaper’s performance and the
merits of arguments for and against the notion of it being a successful example of a liberal
newspaper. Content analysis and interviews with RDM staff members, was used to assess
the paper’s conduct. These primary sources were examined in conjunction with available
literature and criticisms against the English press and RDM presented in testimonies at the
TRCMH to assess the paper’s reportage and how valid criticisms against it were. The
researcher concluded that, due to serious shortcomings, which included its reporting of the
uprising, the RDM was not a successful liberal newspaper.
Description
Student Number: 0216613T
Master of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Keywords
Rand Daily Mail, Liberal Journalism, Soweto uprising, Soweto Riots