Journalism and Media Studies Publications
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- ItemThe why of humour during a crisis: An exploration of COVID-19 memes in South Africa and Zimbabwe(Journal of African Media Studies, 2021-02-26) Msimanga, M.J.; Tshuma, L.A.; Matsilele, T.This article inquires why humour flourishes in face of tragedy. Memes, as we argue, give people a sense of power as they offer commentary that critiques and mocks the government policies and ineptness, simultaneously offering a sense of hope and relief in face of the pandemic. With a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, this study probed the nature, character and the why of humour in two southern African countries: South Africa and Zimbabwe. Findings show that memes were used to comment on lockdown regulations and speak against public authorities, to raise awareness of COVID-19 and expose poor health delivery systems. Our findings show that memes in South and Zimbabwe were used to bring dialogue about the COVID-19 pandemic and communicate health-related issues.
- ItemEthnic minority media as counter-hegemonic and agents of participation for minority communities(Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 2021-12-26) Ncube, B.J.This article interrogates the extent to which ethnic minority media acts as tools for preserving minority cultures and identities and as counter-hegemonic to mainstream media’s representations of migrants in South Africa. It also discusses how diasporic ethnic media function as agents of participation for diasporic communities that are struggling to find a ‘home’ away from home. Mainstream media in South Africa, particularly tabloids, tend to represent the diasporic communities as petty criminals, prostitutes, robbers and accuse them of stealing the locals’ jobs. Most of these communities comprised by people of Asian descent – Pakistan, India – and the majority from African countries like Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ethiopic, Nigeria, Somalia and Mozambique. Migrants are often labelled as ‘aliens’, and the entrepreneurship associated with these minority migrants is rarely reported by South Africa’s mainstream media. The article deploys the digital public sphere theory and the four models of alternative journalism. Using textual analysis of purposively selected stories and programmes of an online radio station, Radio Mthwakazi, this article concludes that ethnic minority media in South Africa challenges the hegemonic tendencies of mainstream media and, in the process, constructs multi-ethnic subaltern public spheres and acts as agents of participation.
- ItemImmortalizing “Buried Memories”: Photographs of the Gukurahundi Online(Journal of Genocide Research, 2020-11-10) Tshuma, L.A.; Ndlovu, M.This article examines how photographs displayed online preserve, mediate and circulate memories of the Gukurahundi “genocide.” The Gukurahundi denotes mass killings of more than 20,000 predominantly Ndebele-speaking people in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces orchestrated by the Zimbabwean government between 1983 and 1987. Many of the victims consider this to be a genocide, but their memories are subject to repression under the current regime. In this context, online news sites serve as alternative spaces in which knowledge of this traumatic past is transmitted through photographs. Anchored in an understanding that photographs constitute a “mirror with a memory,” this article uses critical discourse analysis to analyse selected images from Bulawayo24.com news website. It finds that Bulawayo24.com serves as an arena for preserving and circulating Gukurahundi memories by enabling audiences to bear witness to their experience-as-genocide. The images reinforce human rights discourses, contributing to the growing calls for justice, commemoration, and memorialization of Gukurahundi victims.
- ItemDigital Technologies and the Changing Journalism Cultures in Zimbabwe: Examining the Lived Experiences of Journalists Covering the COVID-19 Pandemic(Digital Journalism, 2021-09-15) Ndlovu, M.; Sibanda, M.N.New Information and Communication Technologies (NICTs) are transforming newsmaking practices and journalistic cultures across the globe. Although factors such as lack of Internet access and prohibitive costs are constraining the adoption of these interactive digital technologies in most African countries, journalists are creatively appropriating these digital tools in their everyday professional work. Informed by the concept of journalism culture and the social constructionist approach to technology, this article examines the lived experiences of Zimbabwean journalists covering the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Drawing upon the first-hand accounts of 21 journalists covering this pandemic, this study explores the adoption and appropriation of digital technologies in their newsmaking practices. Despite challenges of resources such as finances, internet access and lack of protective gear, Zimbabwean journalists increasingly relied on interactive digital tools such as WhatsApp and Twitter to generate story ideas, conduct diary meetings, and for virtual sourcing.
- ItemFreelance journalism in Zimbabwe: Challenges and opportunities(Journalism, 2024) Tshuma, L.; Ndlovu, M.; Dhladhla, Z.N.In Zimbabwe, the comatose economy has had an impact on the media industry. Since 2000, media houses have been shutting down due to lack of financial support or poor business environment. For some news organisations, they have been retrenching their staff as a cost cutting measure. This has also led to retrenched journalists to write for other publications as freelance journalists. This study examines the state of freelance journalism in Zimbabwe. It aims to assess their role and contribution to the media industry, challenges they face, and also the survival strategies they are adopting. This qualitative study is informed by Bourdieu’s field theory. It used in-depth interviews while thematic analysis was employed in analyzing data. Findings demonstrates that freelance journalists are contributing to the growth of media industry in Zimbabwe by writing on specialised beats like science reporting. Besides such contributions, findings further demonstrated that freelance journalism is seen as ‘curse’ as journalists are easily harassed by the state agents who rarely recognizes someone not working for an established organisation.