In the eye of the public: Military-media relations in South Africa
| dc.contributor.advisor | Esterhuyse, Abel | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Jordaan, Evert | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Theunissen, Jacobus Danie Johannes | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Military Science. School for Security and Africa Studies: Political Science. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-11-07T10:43:33Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-01-16T12:42:05Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-11-07T10:43:33Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-01-16T12:42:05Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MMil)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The conflict of interest between the military and the media originates from the inception of professional journalism. Militaries are as old as humanity and throughout history required various aspects to be victorious. The most important of them being operational security. The media on the other side want to provide an account of what occurred in a truthful and factual manner. Historically the relationship between these two entities have been strenuous as the military needs total control over information and access to conflicts as opposed to the media who required access in order to be able to provide an objective narrative. In the first 10 years of democracy in South Africa there was a congruent relationship between the military and the media. This relationship steadily deteriorated over the years where it is considered to be non-existent at present by certain journalists who regularly interact with the military. The media is of the opinion that the military does not communicate intentionally, timeously, and courteously by taking editorial processes into consideration. From the media’s side the level of professionalism in journalism has dwindled due to the juniorisation of its editors and journalists who no longer understand the military. Up to 2004 corporate communication officers in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were highly specialised and had many years of experience in dealing with the media. The media liaison function was decentralised and there were continuous liaison between the different management levels of the military and the media. This changed when media liaison was centralised to the Defence Headquarters in 2000. Since then officers without corporate communication qualifications and experience have been appointed in various senior corporate communication and media liaison posts. The Policy on Corporate Communication in the Department of Defence details the role of corporate communication functionaries and their responsibilities to ensure a positive public image on behalf of the command cadre. It is an extensive document addressing the command and control of the discipline on all the management levels as well as the education, training, and development aspects for the discipline. In South Africa it seems as if reporting on the military by the media is either predominantly of a negative nature or there is very little coverage of substance on the SANDF. The purpose of the study is to determine and explain what underpins the relationship between the military and the media in South Africa. The public needs to know what the military does, and the most effective way for the military to communicate with its stakeholders is using the media as a mass communication tool. Communication plays a pivotal part to ensure that the role, functions and activities of the SANDF is presented to ensure a positive public opinion. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die konflik tussen die militer en die media het sy oorsprong met die totstandkoming van die media as professie. Weermagte is so oud soos die mensdom en deur die eeue was daar verskeie faktore wat ’n rol gespeel het vir weermagte om te seevier tydens oorloe. Operasionele sekerheid was en bly een van die mees belangrikste aspekte vir die weermag. Daarenteen wil die media ’n ware en feitlike weergawe gee van wat gebeur het. Histories is daar dus ’n onwrikbare vehouding tussen die weermag wat totale beheer oor informasie en toegang tot konflikte wil handhaaf teenoor die media wat toegang benodig tot beide om ’n objektiewe weergawe te voorsien van wat gebeur het. In die eerste 10 jaar van demokrasie in Suid-Afrika het daar ’n gematigde verhouding bestaan tussen die militer en die media. Die verhouding het oor die afgelope paar jaar stelselmatig verswak en sekere joernaliste wat gereeld oor die weermag verslag doen is van die mening dat daar tans geen verhouding bestaan tussen die weermag en die media. Dit is die media se opinie dat die weermag die media nie intensioneel, tydig en met respek behandel nie, veral as dit gaan oor redaksionele prosesse binne die media. Aan die ander kant gee die media toe dat die professionaliteit van die media gedaal het as gevolg van die vlak van kundigheid by redakteurs en joernaliste, omrede hierdie persone nie meer die weermag verstaan soos vroeer nie. Tot en met 2004 was die korporatiewe kommunikasie offisiere in die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag (SANW) hoogs gespesialiseerd met jare se ondervinding in media skakeling. Die media skakeling funksie was gedesentraliseerd en daar was gereelde skakeling tussen die verskillende vlakke van bestuur van die SANW en die media. Hierdie tendens het in 2000 verander toe media skakeling in die weermag gesentraliseer is in die Verdededigingshoofkwartier en van toe af is persone sonder korporatiewe kommunikasie kwalifikasies en ondervinding in senior korporatiewe kommunikasie en media skakeling poste aangestel. Die Korporatiewe Kommunikasie Beleid van die Departement van Verdediging bespreek in detail wat die rol van die korporatiewe kommunikasie funksionarisse is en wat hulle verantwoordelikhede is om ’n positiewe publieke beeld van die weermag te skep namens die bevelstruktuur van die weermag. Dit is ’n goeddeurdagte dokument wat bevel en beheer in die kommunikasie dissipline aanspreek op alle vlakke van bestuur asook die opvoeding, opleiding en ontwikkeling van die dissipline. Dit blyk dat verslaggewing oor die SANW in Suid-Afrika van ’n negatiewe aard is of dat daar weinig berig word oor die weermag wat van substansieele waarde is. Die doel van die studie is om te bepaal en te verduidelik wat die vehouding is tussen die militer en die media in Suid-Afrika. Dit is in die belang van die militer dat die publiek weet wat die SANW doen en dat dit in die mees effektiefste manier gekommunikeer word. Kommunikasie speel ’n uiterse belangrike rol om te sorg dat ’n positiewe beeld van die SANW uitgedra word deur die media te gebruik as massa kommunikasie medium. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | ix, 125 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125937 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Journalists -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Armed forces and mass media -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | SANDF | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | South African National Defence Force | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Journalism, Military | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | South Africa. Armed Forces -- Information services | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Public relations | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | In the eye of the public: Military-media relations in South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |
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