Masters Degrees (Journalism)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Journalism) by browse.metadata.advisor "Claassen, G."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    E-commerce in South Africa : an overview
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002-03) De Heus, Louisa; Claassen, G.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: E-commerce developed as a direct result of the Internet and it has impacted the way South African businesses conduct its operations and consumers receive their information. It is impossible to quantify the e-commerce phenomenon locally - this research study aims to cover most of the important areas impacted bye-commerce in South Africa. There are some barriers slowing the development of e-commerce in this country. The goal of this study is to determine if the local market is ready to accept e-commerce technologies that are already widely used in global markets. This research study examines the history of the Internet in South Africa and also raises the question whether the market was affected by the global dot com crash (also known as the dot bomb crash) experienced in 2000. The study also aims to identify the barriers hindering effective e-commerce in South Africa. It further highlights the importance of other areas of online commerce, such as mobile commerce (m-commerce), to bring the power of technology to consumers and collaboration commerce (c-commerce), to streamline business operations. Lastly, the study aims to explore the South African government's initiatives to effectively formulate a policy for e-commerce to protect the consumers' rights.
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    "Elixir of youth" or "Cancer potion"? The battle for the purse of the middle-aged woman and the role of the media in reporting themes in medical science
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004-04) Lotter, Rene Louise; Claassen, G.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Journalism.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The popular media ("Media" here referring to newspapers, magazines. television, internet) adds to confusion and panic when reporting on the risks and benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy for women (HRT). Most reports show bias, cast scientists as villains, or leave the reader more confused than before about terminology. The Southern African media does in general aspire to objectivity towards both the pharmaceutical and natural health industry. However, shallow or inept reporting, the need to generalise complicated findings and dramatise what's regarded as cold scientific news, create this bias and confusion. Misleading health reporting, in South Africa as much as anywhere else in the world, can change health behaviour and can even cost lives. Ethical health reporting can therefore be described as a matter of life and death. This paper aims to analyse the media for biased, confusing and alarmist reporting. It then aims to explain reasons for the bias or confusion. Fourteen reports are analysed. One Time magazine report, and 13 reports selected from the Southern African media.
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    The implications of the personalisation of the media www.ubuntu.co.za for democracy
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001-03) Naidoo, Trusha A.; Claassen, G.; Retief, G. J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Journalism.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This body of work is a post modern analysis of how the shift from mass to me media influences the role and structure of the media. Was McLuhan right, is the medium increasingly the message? Or is the post-modern media a totally different animal, a manifestation of popular culture and marketing rather than the socially responsible institution responsible for safeguarding democracy that it was envisioned to be by the American founding fathers? The underlying theme is the convergence of media and marketing and the resulting conglomeration and technological dependency forced on the reader and the writer. Who are the new mediators and how do they manage the media? In the mediatrix, the readers become media managers and the writers become surfers. The analysis begins with an examination of the contrast between real and virtual communities and how the media bridges this information gap. How does reporting in virtuality reflect reality? The body of the study has three parts, the shift from mass to me media, the alternative media spheres it has engendered and the controlling forces behind this transition. Throughout the study, mass media and me media are contrasted. The study ends with a look at the impact of technology .andpopular culture on the South African media and how the media will click through the future. Will the deeply entrenched communal values of ubuntu stave off the individualisation cocooning brings? That is, will the I before we focus of personalised media nurture the South African democracy or will itfoster mediocracy?
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    Die voorstandersrol in die daarstelling van 'n agenda van nuus oor die bewoonde omgewing
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004-12) Van Wyk, Gerrit; Claassen, G.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The independent interpretation of a series of interviews shows provisionally that the proponent of an issue is its scout and interpreter in the agenda-setting process. The proponent thus helps to develop and adapt the scope of an issue so that it will appear as a dyna"1ic subject on the media agenda. The focus of this aSSignment falls on the proponents of the inhabited environment as a career scientific development. The definition of this career scientific development was adapted to suit an investigation in media studies. The interview questions examined three topics: the issue proponent's profile, motivation and discouragement to make contributions, and the technical skills and standards needed 10 place an issue on the media agenda. The profile of a proponent is that of scout and interpreter. The respondents mention the stereoty~es media institutions maintain as the greatest demotivation and their love for the inhabited environment as their greatest motivation. The respondents place a lot of value on high joumalistic standards in the coverage of their issue.
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    Wat beteken verantwoordelike joernalistiek met betrekking tot MIV/VIGS in Suid-Afrika? : 'n inleidende studie oor MIV/VIGS in 'Die Burger' en 'The Star'
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003-03) Fourie, Aneleh; Claassen, G.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the meaning of responsible news coverage of the HIV/Aids epidemic with references to Die Burger en The Star. Even though the numbers of HIV positive people are escalating in our country, the media still persist in addressing HIV/Aids news in exactly the same way as any other news, which means that journalists are still detached observers who simply reflect the news of the day. This study emphasizes that the limited success of HIV prevention campaigns should urge the South African society to re-evaluate our approach to addressing HIV/Aids. It is also important to convince the media of its responsibility towards more ethical practices and especially towards greater involvement in this subject. Greater involvement will necessitate the press to re-evaluating some conventional practices as detachment and objectivity. Within this context greater involvement and activism do not have to be synonyms. With greater involvement one would like to emphasize the need for the media to take a few steps closer to the realities of HIV/Aids in order to be able to have a deeper understanding of the complexities of this disease. If one would like to see a difference in the spreading and impact of HIV/Aids on the South African community it is very important that the media will be included in the efforts against HIV/Aids. The media are a powerful and influential institution, which shape the minds and ideas of the society. The majority of South Africans are dependent on the media for most of their information - including HIV/Aids information. The greater involvement and responsibility requires pro-activity of the media and could facilitate the establishment of a better informed, well empowered and involved civil society who would themselves also be prepared to take ownership of HIVand Aids in the South African community.
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    Wild west science reporting : pitfalls and ethical issues in the reporting of frontier sciences
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003-12) Low, Marcus; Claassen, G.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Journalism.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: When reporting on new research or claims by scientists, the science journalist faces a number of pitfalls. For a number of reasons the journalist might produce a story which is inaccurate or misleading. Thus, when a scientist claims to have found a cure for cancer, the journalist needs to check himself before delivering the story. In this paper I will examme a number of issues concerning the reporting of frontier science, or new research. In this realm it is particularly difficult to distinguish more reliable science from less reliable science. The problem is compounded by the vested interests of scientists, pharmaceutical companies and other interest groups. What the science journalist writes, influences public opinion, conceptions about science, and often affects people's decision-making regarding medical issues. There is thus a clear ethical aspect to science reporting. I will try to show that an understanding of how science works is crucial to reporting science responsibly. In this regard the distinction between frontier and textbook science is of particular importance. Theoretical distinctions such as these provide useful tools for the interpretation of claims from the frontier. The first chapter, then, will deal with theoretical concepts pertaining to how SCIence works. In the second we will examine a number of examples of how reporting from the frontiers can go wrong. We will argue that a better understanding of science might have prevented many of the inaccuracies and misleading claims examined. In chapter three we will attempt to list what can go wrong, and examine some of the possible consequences, thus outlining the ethical aspect of science reporting. Finally we will make a few suggestions and outline some guidelines which might contribute to more accurate and responsible reporting from the frontiers.