What impact did COVID-19 have on the coverage of court cases in South Africa by television broadcasters?

Abstract

In December 2019 a virus similar to pneumonia was discovered in Wuhan, a city in China. The coronavirus outbreak resulted in the disruption of many industries, sectors and households, one of those was the media. This report looks at the impact COVID-19 had on South Africa’s television news broadcasters and the coverage of court cases in the high courts in Johannesburg, Mbombela and Cape Town. The media plays a vital role in assisting open justice by reporting on court cases and when the pandemic hit, physical access of court rooms was shut down during the 21-day hard lockdown. Television broadcast journalists had to contend with alternative ways of reporting cases of public interest and navigating the introduction of virtual court hearings. This research report unpacks the experiences and perceptions of television court reporters and camera operators in the year 2020 which were obtained through interviews. The consensus among those interviewed is that the pandemic challenged the ‘traditional’ ways of court reporting forcing journalists to think of new and creative ways while contending with a lack of psychological support, restrictions to court rooms and information. Even though virtual court sittings were accessible they had their own technical challenges. This study is grounded in a theoretical framework that draws on the concepts of agenda-setting and political economy of communication.