The functioning and transformation of press self-regulation in a new democratic media landscape: a case study of the South African Press Ombudsman
Date
2010-07-29T11:25:47Z
Authors
Kumwenda, Olivia Vitumbiko
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Abstract
Abstract
Press self-regulation has provoked debate and drawn criticism in South Africa since the
practice was started over four decades ago following threats of statutory regulation. The
practice has gone through various permutations to suit prevailing social and political
environments in the country. Focusing on the press ombudsman system as a case study, this
research examines the functioning and transformation of press self-regulation in response to
the changing media landscape in a democratic South Africa. The research utilises social
responsibility theory of the press to provide a theoretical understanding on the need for the
press to be self-regulatory. Document analysis and in-depth interviews are the main data
collection methods utilised in the study. Using thematic content analysis, the study then
draws on themes emerging from the findings to address the research question. The findings
show that people from across the range in South Africa utilise the system, albeit to varying
extents, and that the system has fairly handled complaints with rulings evenly going for and
against the press. The findings also show that through amendments to the Press Code and
procedures for handling complaints, the press self-regulatory mechanism has transformed
mainly owing to democratic constitutional and legal requirements and public expectations.
However, the system has been resistant to some of the criticism, hence there still remains
public and political pressure for the system to address the concerns.