REFLECTINGONASTRATEGYINTHEWESTERNCAPE

RaashiedGalant UnpublishedpaperUniversityofStellenbosch,DepartmentofJournalism December,2008 Introduction

GENDERANDRURALNEWSMEDIAINSOUTHAFRICA

ThisarticlewillreflectonstrategiesemployedintheWesternCapetoconvinceruralbased newspaperstoadoptaprogressivenewsagendawithrespecttogenderissues.Thearticlefirst proceedstooutlinewhataprogressiveagendawithrespecttogenderisallabout,andwhythisis stillrequiredintheSouthAfricancontext.Itthenproceedstooutlinepressingissueswithrespectto mediaandgenderintheruralcontext.Thearticlethenreflectsonspecificstrategieswithinthe paradigmofDevelopmentCommunication[DC]thatwereemployedintheOverbergregionofthe WesternCapebytheWomen&MediaProjectoftheGenderAdvocacyProgramme(GAP). GenderinDevelopment Genderisthesocialdistinctionsthatexistbetweenthesexes(LoweMorna,2001:39),andis distinctlydifferenttothebiologicaldistinctionsbetweenmenandwomen.Assuch,genderrolesare constructedandchangeovertime.Thesegenderrolescanamounttowhatisassumedtobe appropriateforeithermenandwomen,todoornottodoinpublic,privateorasprofessionals. Inthedevelopmentcommunicationparadigm,whichalwaysinvolvesthepositiveadvancementofa developmentalobjective(Boafo,2006:4142),womenfeaturemostprominentlyinthearticulation ofgenderdevelopmentgoalsandoutcomes.Numerousdevelopmentobjectivespertainingtogender theworldoveraretargetedmainlyatwomen.Thefactisthatinthereallifebalanceofequality betweenthesexesthegenderrelationsinformedbytheassumptionsaboutgenderrolesinsociety womenfaceaparticularlyheavyburden.WomeninSouthAfricafaceuniqueandspecificburdens offear,stress,anxiety,illnessandviolenceinsociety,comparedtothatofmen.Meaningthatmen ingeneral,forexample,havewaylessfearofbeingrapedthanwomenandabsolutelynoanxietyof dyinginchildbirthduetopoorhealthcare. Inthecaseofparticulartypesofviolencethatmainlywomenandyounggirlsfaceinsociety sexualassault,rape,domesticviolence,femicidetheassumptionsaroundgenderthatcanvalidate thistypeofviolencecanincludethatamanhasarighttobeathiswife;thatawomenshouldinfact bearviolencewhenitoccurswithinmarriageandthehousehold;thatwomengenerallyareinfact promiscuous;thatinmostcaseswomengenerallydesireforcedsexor;thatsexwithavirgincan cureAIDS,forexample.WhiletheseassumptionsdooccurattimesinSouthAfricansociety,inmy opiniontheyarenotdominantviews,andleastofallnotinthemedia.Soinotherwords,whenit comestothecommercialmedia[theentiresector],andthenalsospecificallythenewsmediasector, inmyopiniontherearenotitlesinSouthAfricathatopenlypromote,condoneorjustifyanyof theseassumptionspertainingtogenderroles. Itwillbepresumptuoustosaythatitispreciselybecauseofthisstanceofthemediaaroundthe hypotheticalgenderassumptionsabove[theydonotopenlysubscribetothem],thatthese assumptionsmaygenerallybeaberrant[insociety].Itwillbeequallypresumptuoustodiscountany rolethemediamayhaveintheconstructionoftheseassumptionsonthebasisthat,sexismisso

endemic[insociety]thatthemediacouldcontributerelativelylittlewhichcouldnotbeobtained frommanyothersources(Howitt,1982:80). GenderandMedia Whenapplyingagenderbasedapproachtotheroleofthemediainsociety,theapproachwould questionwhetherthemediacanprovidesomeleverofchangeorelementofresistanceforwomen inasocialsituationstillgenerallystructuredbyinequality(McQuail,1994:102).Themotivation forexploringthisarethebasicassumptionsthatthemediaisinfactpervasive,influential,and meaningfulinsociety.Henceinthedevelopmentcontext,notwithstandingthat(1)sexism;(2) genderassumptionsthatvalidateviolenceagainstwomen;or(3)restrictivegendernormsand values,areinformedfrommanydifferentsourcesinsociety,themediarequirestobewatchedor involvedingenderdevelopmentprojectssince: theremaywellbeasignificantrolethemediacanplayinchallengingunfair restrictivegendernormsandvalues;or theremaywellbetimeswhenthemediacontributestotheconstructionofattitudes, assumptions,orperceptionsthatcanbedangerousanddeadlyforwomen. GenderRelationsinSouthAfrica NotwithstandingSouthAfrica'sliberallegislativeandpoliticalenvironment,womenyoungand oldcontinuetobepersecutedbecauseoftheirgender.Violenceagainstwomen,usuallytakingthe formofsexualviolence,remainswidespread,eventhoughthereportedincidentsofrapehave enjoyedasteadydeclineoverthepastfiveyears(SouthAfricanPoliceServices[SAPS],2008i)1.At thesametimethough,therehasbeenanincreaseinreportedcasesofindecentassaultandneglect andilltreatmentofchildren(SAPS,2008ii&iii).Thesecrimesincludingrapeareamongthe violenceperpetratedagainstmanywomenandyounggirlsinSouthAfricaonadailybasis. SouthAfricahasoneofthehighestratesofviolenceagainstwomenintheworld,andthehighest incidenceofrapepercapitaintheworld.ResearchbytheSouthAfricanMedicalResearchCouncil foundthatawomaniskilledeverysixhoursbyanintimatepartner(Mathews,Abrahams,Martin, Vetten,VanderMerwe,andJewkes,2004:2).Overthepastsevenyears,thehighestreported incidenceofrapeoccurredin2005,whenover40000womenwereraped[andreportedittothe police](SAPS,2008i).Thishassincedeclinedto36000reportedrapesin2007. YoungSouthAfricansincreasinglyarenotonlyvictimsofthisviolence,butalsoperpetrators. Juvenilecrime,childrape,childmolestation,youngboyperpetratorsofsexualviolenceagainst otherchildren;childkillingstheseareallsomeofthevarioustypesofviolenceinvolvingyoung people,andwhicharealsoroutinelyreportedonbythemedia.TheHIV/AIDSpandemicplacesan additionaltwisttogenderbasedviolence[GBV]amidthecloseintersectionbetweenGBVand HIV/AIDS. AttitudesandPerceptions Women,andparticularlyyounggirls,areathighestriskofnotonlybeingcoercedintoforcedsex, butofalsobeinginfectedwithHIV/AIDSasaresult.Thecontinuedsocialstigmaattachedto HIV/AIDScompoundsmattersresultinginpeopleeithershunningawayfromtestsorfailingto
1

Thepolicefiguresforthewholecountryshowthatoversixyearssince2001,thenumberofreportedrapeincidents hasdeclinedby11.9%.

disclosetheirstatustosexualpartners. Attitudesandperceptionsofsexualviolence,particularlyamongyoungpeople,showadisturbing trendofacceptanceofsexualcoercion,wheresexualviolenceislargelyacceptedratherthan challenged. InanationalcrosssectionalstudyofviewsonsexualviolenceandriskofHIVInfectionandAIDS amongSouthAfricanschoolpupils,itwasfoundthatmisconceptionsaboutsexualviolencewere commonamongbothsexes,butmorefemalesheldviewsthatwouldputthemathighriskofHIV infection(Andersson,HoFoster,Matthis,Marokoane,Mashiane,Mhatre,Mitchell,Mokoena, Monasta,Ngxowa,Salcedo,andSonnekus,2004:1). Over260000schoolpupils[averylargesample]agedbetween1019yearsweresampled throughoutSouthAfricaandamongthefindingswere(Anderssonetal,2004:23): Upto58%believedthatsexualviolencedidnotincludeforcingsexwithsomeoneyouknowor thatsexualviolencedidnotincludeunwantedtouching; 30%believedthatgirlsdonothavetherighttorefusesexwiththeirboyfriend; 48%believedthatgirlsmeanyeswhentheysayno;and 26%believedthatgirlsenjoyrape Oftheserespondents: 43%ofurban/metropolitanyouthbelievedthatcondomscannotprotectagainstHIVinfection; and45%ofthosewhosupportedthiscontentionwhereyounggirls. Furtherfindingswerethatrespondentsofeithersexwhohadbeenabusedinthepastyearwere morelikelytohavemisconceptionsaboutsexualviolenceandabouttheriskofHIV/AIDS infection.Respondentswhohadbeensexuallyabusedinthepastyearweremorelikelytohaveno intentionoftakinganHIVtest,morelikelytosaytheywouldnotinformtheirfamilyiftheywere HIVpositive,andmorelikelytobelievethatsexwithavirgincouldcureHIVinfectionorAIDS (Anderssonetal,2004:34). ThesurveyillustratedadisturbingpatternofSouthAfricanschoolpupilsinternalisingtheirriskof sexualabuseintomisconceptionsaboutsexualviolenceandabouttheriskofHIVinfectionand AIDS. InadetailedparticipatoryresearchintodomesticviolenceconductedbyGAPintheSaldanhaBay CommunityontheCapeWestCoast,itswasfoundthatdomesticviolencewasstilllargely consideredaprivatematterandthatwomenoftensufferinsilence(Khan,2003:31). Theresearchunderscoresthefactthatcurrentsocialmessagesareinadequateinstemmingthe crisisofgenderbasedpersecutioninthecountry,andinfactmanyoftheperceptionsandattitudes, particularlyamongyoungpeople,arefeedingintothiscrisis. Media,GenderandDevelopmentbetweentheory,practiceandreality SouthAfricahasoneofthecontinent'sstrongesteconomiesandboastsoneofthemostprogressive Constitutionsintheworld(Finlay,2003:3).Genderequalityisspecificallypromotedandprotected inSection9oftheBillofRights(SAConstitution,1996).Thecountryalsohasacomprehensive andprogressivegenderbasedlegalframeworkaddressingnumerousaspectsaimedatprotectingand

advancingtherightsofwomenandgirlchildren2.Paralleltothis,national,provincialandlocal genderfocusedmachineryseektoimplement,exploreandmonitorgenderbasedpoliciesat differentlevelsofgovernanceandsocialcollectives3.Allinall,thereisnodoubtthatthesecountas greatvictoriesforSouthAfricansandwomeninparticular. Thecountryenjoysarobustandvariedmediasectorcoveringthefullgamutofpublicservice media,community,commercialandITmedia.Thecountryenjoysasignificantvarietyof newspapers,magazines,TVchannels,websites,radiostationsand,entertainmentmediaproducts andoutlets.Freedomofexpression,speechandaccesstoinformationenjoybroadprotectionunder theConstitution.Allinall,thesefreedomstoocountasgreatvictoriesforSouthAfricans. However,intheenjoymentorimplementationofallthesefreedoms,thereareseriouscontradictions whichbearspecificreflectionontheissueofgender. Firstly,thefigureswithrespecttoviolenceagainstwomenandHIV/AIDSwhichImentionearlier inthisessay,belietheimpressivecollectionofgendermachineryinthiscountry.Secondly,the trajectoryofSouthAfrica'swealthandeconomy,whileitmaybeofthestrongestonthecontinent, isthatofendemicpoverty.Povertyispervasiveinbothurbanandruralareas,butespeciallyinrural areas.Adecadeago,thegovernment'sIntegratedSustainableRuralDevelopmentStrategy[ISRDS] policydocumentreportedthat(SouthAfricanGovernment,2000:6): Approximately70%ofSouthAfricaspoorpeopleliveinruralareas,and about70%oftheruralresidentsarepoor.Theirincomesareconstrained becausetheruraleconomyisnotsufficientlyvibranttoprovidethemwith remunerativejobsorselfemploymentopportunities.Theircostoflivingis highbecausetheyspendrelativelymoreonbasicsocialservicessuchasfood andwater,shelter,energy,healthandeducation,andtransportand communicationsservices.Moreover,thenaturalresourcebasetowhichthey haveaccesscannotprovideruralpeoplewiththemeansofsubsistence. TheconcentrationofpovertyinruralSouthAfricahasnotchanged(Finlay,2003:3).Thispoverty4 isalsoraciallyskewed,withwomencarryingasignificantpartoftheburden5.Violenceagainst women[VAW]andpovertyhaveasinisterlink,withpovertyincreasingawomansvulnerabilityto VAWthroughgreaterexposuretopotentiallyviolentsituationsandbyreducingtheirabilitytoavoid orescapefromsuchsituations(Terry,2004:470).Giventhis,onecandeducethatdeepergender schismsexistbetweenmenandwomeninruralareas,andwithwomenfacingagreaterdegreeof marginalisationinruralareas. InSouthAfrica'smedialandscape,ahostofothercontradictionsemerge.

SpecificallytheDomesticViolenceAct;theSexualOffencesAct;TheTerminationofPregnancyAct;The MaintenanceActand;theEmploymentEquityAct. 3 NotwithstandingtheestablishmentofaMinistryforWomen,Youth,ChildrenandPeoplewithDisabilitiesin2009, thecountrystillmaintainstheCommissiononGenderEquality(withnationalandprovincialoffices);theOfficeon theStatusofWomenbasedintheOfficeofthePresident;andtheJointMonitoringCommitteeontheImprovement ofQualityofLifeandStatusofWomen,basedintheNationalParliament. 4 NotethatoverallpovertyinSouthAfricahasshifted.Householdpovertydeclinedbyfivepercentagepoints,from53 %ofthepopulationin1995to48%in2005(Gumede,2008).ItremainsthoughthatnearlyhalfofSouthAfrica's populationof47millionarepoor, 5 AccordingtotheUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme,92.4%ofthoselivingbelowthepovertylineinSouth Africain2003wereblack;50.9%werefemale;and60.2%weresingleparents.

ThechoiceofmainstreamlocalandforeignmediaavailableinSouthAfrica,includinginrural areas,islarge.Inotherwords:dailyandweeklypapers,magazines,radio,television,cable,Internet, filmrentalandpornographyareroutinelyavailableinvaryingdegreesofconcentrationacrossthe urbanandrurallandscapeofSouthAfrica(SAARFAMPS,2007;Koenderman,2006:9). ThemediaisbigbusinessinSouthAfrica,andunlikemediatrendsindevelopednortherncountries, audiencesinSouthAfricahavegrownphenomenally. Since2000,contrarytointernationaltrends,overallreadershipandcirculationfiguresinthe newspapermarkethaverisenphenomenally(Milne&Taylor,2006:50).Thiswasduemainlytothe riseofthetabloidpressthatischaracterisedbysensationalismandfocusesonscandal,gossip, entertainmentandsport(LoweMorna&Ndlovu2008:11).SouthAfrica'stotalcirculationofdaily newspapersincreasedby38.4%after2000(Milne&Taylor,2006:50). Inthemagazinesector,circulationfiguresshowthatthissectorisgrowingatanunprecedented rate(Milne&Taylor,2006:50).By2005,therewereabout350magazinetitlesdistributedinthe countryeverymonth,whilefiveyearsbeforethat,thistotalwascloserto13titleswithoverall growthjustunder55%(Milne&Taylor,2006:50).Inbroadcasting,terrestrialTVthroughthe SABC'sthreechannelsandtheprivateETVchannel,commandwellover60%oftheadultviewing public(Milne&Taylor,2006:43). ThepointisthatSouthAfricaismediarich,andthismediaisverypervasive.Butnotwith standingtheliberaladvancementofspeechandmediarights,andthelargepoolofmedia,the overwhelmingmajorityofallmediaareeithercorporateownedorwhiteowned(Hadland, 2007:107,143).Thedominantdiscourseacrossallthemedia,includingthepublicbroadcaster,is thatofEurocentrismandmarketcapitalism. Thecommunitybroadcastingsectorhasbeeneffectivelydevelopedacrossthecountry,andsome measureofalternativediscourseandcommunityempowermentispresentthere.Regularalternative [tothedominantdiscourse]printmediathoughisscantthroughoutthecountry.Thecostsofentry intotheprivateprintandbroadcastingmediasectorarehuge,whichbeliesanothercontradictionin theadvancementofspeechandmediarights. Butthemostglaringcontradictioninmediapractice,giventhestateofgenderrelationsthatIcite earlierinthisessay,isthatanumberofSouthAfricannewsmediacontinuetocommodifyand objectifywomen'sbodiesthroughsalaciouspage3andbackpagespreads.Andthisgoeswithout sayingaboutwhathappensinotherlocalmedia,suchasmagazines,theinternet,broadcastingand entertainmentmedia.Theappearanceinthenewsmediaoftenhasspinoffsinothermedia,suchas whenthegirlofthedaygetsdiscussedradio,andonceagaintheroleofwomenisreducedtothat ofpleasingmen. InFebruary2004,theSouthAfricanNationalEditor'sForum(SANEF),distanceditselffroma "StriptheBackPageCampaign"aimedatgettingmediatodroptheirsalaciouspage3andback pagespreadsduringtheweekofMarch8.Citingeditorialindependence,theeffectwastobelittle andunderminethecampaigninSANEF'sconstituency(SundayTimes,2004i&ii). GenderintheMediaCurrentfindingsontheSouthAfricanmedia ThegeneralreportingonwomenandgenderissuesinSouthAfricanmainstreammediahavebeen underthespotlightinrecentyears.ThewiderangingGenderMediaBaselineStudy(GMBS)

conductedbyGenderLinksandtheMediaInstituteofSouthernAfrica[GL&MISA](2003),found seriousdiscrepanciesinthemannerinwhichwomenwerereportedonandrepresentedinthemedia. Sincethen,therehavebeenprogressiveshiftsinthemedia'sperformance. AmongthefindingsoftheGMBSwasthatdespitethefactthatwomencomprisenearlyathirdof legislators,theycomprisedeightpercentofpoliticianssourcedforcomment(GL&MISA, 2003:12).Intotal,womenconstitutedonly19%ofknownnewssources,whileblackwomen,who constituteabout45%ofthepopulation,representedsomefivepercentofnewssources(GL& MISA,2003:12).Therewasnotopiccategoryinwhichthevoicesofwomenpredominated. Women'svoiceswereleastwellrepresentedintopiccodeseconomicsandpolitics(GL&MISA, 2003:34). In2004,theMediaMonitoringProject's[MMP]analysisofmediaduringthe16DaysofActivism campaignfoundanunprecedentedhighnumberoffemalesources(46%),althoughstilllessthan malesources(MMP,2005:2).Themonitoringalsoshowedadramaticincreaseinthenumberof genderbasedviolence,womanandchildabusestoriesthaninpreviousresearch;andfoundthata numberofmediaoutdidthemselvesintheirsupportofthe16Dayscampaign,whileothersappeared toignoreitcompletely(MMP,2005:2). Similarly,in2005theGlobalMediaMonitoringProject(GMMP)foundthatSouthAfricanmedia alongwith8othercountriesinthesubregionhadshiftedintheirreporting.Thepercentageof femalesourcesinSouthAfricaincreasedto26%(LoweMorna,2006:139).Asfarassubjectswere concerned[thosewhoareinthenews],femalesubjectsremainedunderrepresentedat26%, showingthegeneraldominance(78%)ofmennewsmakers(WorldAssociationofChristian CommunicationWACC,2005:5).IquotefurtherfromtheGMMPSouthAfricaReport(WACC, 2005:5): Mendominatedassubjectsinalltopicsrepresentedinthemedia.The onlysubjectswherewomenreceived100%wasinthecategoriesofsex workerandasretiredpersons.Mendominatedthemediaasexperts,with only5%ofwomenbeingusedasexperts. Allthesegenderspecificstudiesofthemedia,wheretheycoveredSouthAfrica,focussed exclusivelyonmainstreamand/orurbanbasedmedia.Whereruralmediawasincluded,theywere invariablycommunityandnotcommercialmedia.Inmyopinion,ruralmediaandruralbasedmedia practitionersaresignificantlyabsentingenderandmediaresearchinSouthAfrica. RuralMediadefiningthefield Thetermruralcommercialmedia,isnotcommonlyusedbymediaresearchersacrossSouth Africa.Arenstein(2005)andtheMediaDevelopmentandDiversityAgency(MDDA)(2005) interchangeablyspeakaboutgrassrootsmediaandcommunityprintmedia,ostensiblytoreferto, amongothers,ruralcommercialmedia.OMDMedia,whichproducestheannualSouthAfrican MediaFacts,aswellastheSouthAfricanAllMediaandProductsSurvey(AMPS),talkofregional papersorcommunitytitles(Koenderman,2006:9;SAARFAMPS,2007)whichincludesrural commercialmedia,butnotexclusively.Milne&Taylor(2006),whoproducedtheSouthAfrican reportoftheAfricanMediaDevelopmentInitiative,speakaboutlocalweeklynewspaperand regionalweeklynewspaper(2006:40),andI'mnotsurewhereruralcommercialmediawillfitin here.

HadlandandThorne(2004)proceedtograpplewithsomedefinitionsinthereattempttodefine smallmediainSouthAfrica(2004:9),andtheirdiscussioninthisregardisverypertinent. Firstly,theycorrectlydrawadistinctionbetweencommunitymediaandindependentmedia. Theydescribetheformervariouslyaslocallyfocussed,ownedandcontrolledbythecommunity, andparticipatoryinnature(Hadland&Thorne,2004:10). Independentmediatheydescribeasbeingprivatelyowned,commercialmediawhichisfreeof controlandinfluencebycorporateorgovernmentinterests(Hadland&Thorne,2004:10).Theygo ontopointoutthatwhilesmall,independentmediaoftentargetadefinedgeographiccommunity orcommunityofinterest,itisnotownedorcontrolledbythatcommunity,noraretheynecessarily 'participatory'innature(Hadland&Thorne,2004:10).Broughttogether,theyprovideatopography ofthesmallmediasectorinSouthAfricathatcomprisesofindependentmedia[i.e.small, commercialmedia]andcommunitymedia[notforprofitmedia](Hadland&Thorne,2004:1). IntheOverberg,whichhasjustoveradozennewspapers,mostofthetitlescorrectlyfallwithinthis smallmediasector.However,atleastthreeareownedbyMedia24,amajorconglomeratein SouthAfrica.Theywouldbeexcludedfromthedefinitionofindependentmediaandhencealso fromthesmallmediasector,whichiswhyIusethetermruralcommercialmediainordertobe inclusiveofthesetitles. RuralmediathecaseoftheOverberg InthefirstgenderruralmediaresearchconductedbytheGenderAdvocacyProgramme[GAP]in October2005,12newspaperswereincluded,8ofwhichwereintheOverbergandtheother4inthe BreedeRiverWinelands(GAP,2005:12).Thiswasexploratoryresearchthatwasmeanttogivea snapshotindicationofthemedia'sperformancetoaworkshopofeditors(GAP,2005:3).Five monthslater,amoredetailedcontentsurveyinthesamedistrictscovered20titles,14ofwhichwere intheOverberg(GAP,2006:67).Thenumberoftitlesincreasedby60%[theywerenotnew, merelyoverlookedbytheearlierresearch],whichshowedafairlyvibrantruralmediasectorinthis region. AsthecoordinatorofGAP'sWomen&MediaProjectduringthisperiodupuntil2008,anddueto mycontinuedresearchinterestintheOverberg,Ihavehadtheopportunitytolocateallavailable newspapersontheOverbergandhavefoundaconsistentlyvibrantsector. GAP's2006researchhadstilloverlookedafewtitles,andatthetimetherewereactually17 newspapersoperatinginOverberg.Intheinterveningyears,severalofthesetitleshadcloseddown, butothertitleshadalsoemerged.Currentlyin2009,thereare13smallnewspapers.Theseare: CaledonKontreinuus,HermanusTimes,OverbergVenster,CapeAgulhasTribune,Elgin Grabouwer,GansbaaiCourant,GansbaaiHerald,GreytonSentinal,LangebergBulletin, OverstrandHerald,Suidernuus,StanfordRiverTalk,OverbergNews. ThefirstthreeareownedbyMedia24.TheOverbergNewsisfree,whiletheOverbergVensterand HermanusTimesaredistributedasinsertsofeachother,withonecoverprice.Hence,themajority ofthesepapersaresold;andmostofthemareweekly,therestaremonthly.Advertisingandlocal communityannouncementsmakeuproughly60%ofcontent,andtherestismadeupofagood doseoflocalhardnews,editorialonpoliticalorsocialissues,andletterstotheeditor.Theyarethus hardlyjustadvertisingsheets.Twoofthem,OverbergNewsandElginGrabouwer,arenewtitles, therestaresurvivorsinacompetitivemarketandwerearoundin2005.

InmyexperienceofworkinginthefieldintheOverbergIhavefoundthattheselocalmediaare oftentheonlysourceofnews,informationandexpressionforlocalruralcommunitiesabouttheir communities.Urbanbasedandnationalmediacannotbedependedupontoroutinelyreporton issuesandeventsinruralcommunitiesunlessitissensationalenoughorfitsinwitharunningstory. Thesesmallmediathusenjoyaspeciallocationinruralsociety.Exceptforone,theElgin Grabower,whichisanewtitle,Ihavemetandinterviewedeveryeditorofthesenewspapersover thepastthreeyears,andhavefoundthatineachcasetheywelcomeandroutinelyprintarticlesand contributionsfromthecommunity. Inthisnarrowsensethenthefactthatthesemediaarecommunicatingdirectlywith,aboutand possiblythroughthelocalcommunitytheycanberegardedascommunitymedia.Buttheyare fundamentallynot.Thethreecommonlyaccepteddefinitiveprinciplesofcommunitymediaare (Hadland&Thorne,2004:15): Communitymediaisowned,managedandprogrammed/filledby thepeopleitserves; Communitymediaarenonprofitandrespondtothecommunity's expressedneedsandpriorities;and Communitymediaareaccountabletocommunitystructures. Thesemediadonotconformtoanyofthesedefinitiveprinciples.Theyaresmallbusinesses,andare accountableonlytothevagariesofthemarketandthechallengeswhichcomewithcommercial media.InthecontextoftheOverberg,withnolicensedcommunitybroadcaster,thisistheonly mediathevariouscommunitiescandependupontoreportonlocalissuespertainingtothem. Together,thesemediadonotmimicthelargeoccupationalgenderdisparitiesinmainstreammedia. Ofthe13papers,8(61%)havewomenintopmanagementpostseitheraseditororcoowner.Inthe mainstreammedia,womenoccupyaround30%oftopmanagementandseniormanagementpostsin newsrooms(SouthAfricanNationalEditorsForum&GenderLinks,2007:9).However,intermsof thepoliticaleconomyofthemedia,aglaringdisparityexists:allofthemarewhiteownedina regionwhere80%ofthepopulationareblackandcoloured. Discussion:RuralMediaandGenderreflectingonstrategiesfordevelopmentactioninthe contextofcommercialonlymedia AprogrammaticstrategywhichGAPemployedintheOverberg,wastoworkwiththeexisting media.Asagenderfocussedorganisation,asopposedtoamediadevelopmentorganisation,GAP waswearyaboutparachutinginwiththenotionofsettingupacommunitymediatoadvancea developmentagenda,wheninfacttherewasverylittleorganicawarenessormotivationforthisin thecommunitiesconcerned.GAPwasequallymindfulofthepitfallsofproceedingwithmedia productiontrainingwithaviewtosettingupalternativenewspapersintheabsenceofasustainable model,sincethiswouldgivefalsehopetocommunitiesabouthavingtheirownmedia. Regularalternativemediarequiresconstantinvestmentintimeandmoney[production,paper,print, marketinganddistributioncosts],whichGAPwasnotabletoguaranteeforcommunities.Itis unproductiveandindeeddemoralisingtofacilitateproductionofanalternativecommunitymedia thatexistsonlyforafewissueswhilefundinglasts.Hencethedecisionwastopositivelyembrace andworkwithexistingmedia,notwithstandingthedisparityinthepoliticaleconomyorthe commercialnatureofthesemedia.

Genderandmediadevelopmentworkhasbeenthefocus,orpartofoverallprogrammaticwork,of manyorganisationsinSouthAfricaovertheyears.TheseincludetheSouthernAfricanMediaand GenderInstituteinCapeTown,AgendainDurban,GenderLinksinJohannesburg,andtheInstitute forDemocracyinCapeTown.Iwillreflectspecificallyonthemediaprogrammeactivities implementedbyGAP,withintheparadigmofDevelopmentCommunication. Whilethebeneficiariesinthisprojectwereconsideredtobethebroadersociety,thosewhowere specificallytargetedintheactivitiesweremainlyruralmediapractitioners[journalistsandeditors] and,toalesserextent,ruralgenderactivistsandworkers.IntherealmofDevelopment Communicationtheprojectstraddled(a)participatorydevelopmentcommunication[PDC] approaches;(b)mediaforsocialchange;(c)mediaadvocacy;and(d)civic/publicjournalism.Iwill reflectonthesefourapproachesastheywereemployedintheGAPproject. (a)ParticipatoryDevelopmentCommunicationapproaches AparticipatorymodelwithinDevelopmentCommunicationviewschangewithinaframeworkof multiplicity (Servaes, 2007:221). In this instance in the Overberg, several stakeholders were involved: the newspaper editors or owners that were also the news decision makers; local communitygenderactivistswhorequiredtohavetheirworkandadvocacypublicisedlocally;local government employees who often initiated progressive gender programmes and services in the community;andwomengenerallywhorequiredtohavemorefairandequitabletreatmentintheir localmedia.Approachestoparticipatorymethodsusedialoguetobuildbridgesbetweendifferent groupsofstakeholdersinordertoexploreoptionsandidentifythebestcourseofactionforchange (Servaes,2007:221). One of the components of the project involved organising several roundtable events at which communityactivists,genderpractitionersandlocalgovernmentofficialswerebroughttogetherto speaktoeachotheranddirectlyraiseconcernsthateachsectorhadwitheachother.Soforexample, communityactivistswereinvitedtoraiseconcernswiththemediaaboutperceivedcoverageoflocal communitiesorissuesmostpertinenttolocalcommunities.Atthesametime,themediawasgiven an opportunity to outline the challenges they faced in covering certain issues, as well as the problemstheyfacedineffectivelyaccessinglocalgovernmentinformation.Thelocalgovernment officialsontheotherhandwereinvitedtoexpresstheirconcernsaroundperceivedcoverageoflocal governmentissuesandengageindialoguewiththemediaaroundthedevelopmentofeffective systemsthatwillfacilitatebettermediacoverageoflocalgovernmentissues.Atleastthreesuch gatheringswereorganisedoverthreeyears. (b)Mediaforsocialchange Broadly,theideawithintheconceptofmediaforsocialchangeisthatsocialchangeistheultimate goalofdevelopmentcommunication(Waisbord,2005:85).Inthespecificcontextofjournalism practice, the concept encompasses a journalism that goes beyond the normative parameters of informing;providingappropriatecontextordepth;actingasawatchdogor;servingasaplatform foradiversityofvoicesandopinions.Itencompassesajournalismthatadditionallyinvolvesthe promotionofsocialchangeandcollectiveaction(Stein,2002:5). Theprojectwasinherentlyaboutsocialchangesinceitaimedbroadlytochangeattitudesaboutthe perceptionsofwomen'sroleinsociety,whileatthesametimeinfluencingthecontentofrural mediainawaythatwillinspiregreatercommunityresponsestobothgenderbasedviolenceand HIV/AIDS.

Thefocusofthiscomponentoftheprogrammeweretheactualnewspapereditorsandjournalists. Throughfacetofaceinterviews,publicgatheringsandemailcorrespondence,editorswereexposed toawarenessraisingresourcesaroundgendersensitivepracticesinthemediaaswellaspertinent newsandarticlesaboutwomenandgenderissueswhichtheycoulduseintheirpapers. (c)MediaAdvocacy Media Advocacy involves the strategic use of mass media to advance social or public policy initiatives(Waisbord,2001:24).Thisapproachrejectstheideathatthemediacanbeasourceof onlyantisocialmessages,andinstead,proposestoincludesociallyrelevantthemes(Waisbord, 2001:24).Mediaadvocacywasacriticalcomponentofthisprojectwherethefocuswasonrural gender activists and workers. The activities in this regard involved media capacity building workshopsinwhichcommunityactivistswere,ontheonehand,empoweredtocriticallyreadtheir localmediafromagenderperspective,andontheotherhand,basicmedialiaisonskillsinorderto generategreaterpublicityandcoveragearoundtheirvariousprogrammesandactivities.Thegender andmedialiteracyskillstrainingwasanessentialpartofensuringthatcommunityactivistswould beabletoholdtheirownmediaaccountforgendersensitivepracticesandinthiswayfostergreater vigilanceonthepartofjournaliststoembracegendersensitivepractices.Theaimofthemedia liaisonskillstraininginvolvedbasictraininginpreparingmediareleasesandletterstotheeditor,so astofacilitategreatercontentinruralnewspapersaroundsociallyrelevantthemes. (d)CivicJournalism Anuancedvariationonjournalismforsocialchangeisfoundinthewholenewmovementaround publicjournalism,civicjournalismandadvocacyjournalismwhicharoseinAmericaintheearly 1990s.Thecommonmotivationbehindtheseinstancesofjournalismpractice,isontheonehandto rescueadyingpublicsphere(Compton2000:454455),andonthehandtoshiftjournalismfrom being only an independent, factual chronicler for a democratic society [to] a cultivator of democratic process (Voakes 2004:30). In my opinion, the articulation of civic journalism in Americaholdsgreatmeritwithrespecttolessonslearnedandstrategiesemployed,forcommercial newsmediainSouthAfricaandthearticulationofadevelopmentalagendaforthem. Bowman&Bjornlund(1997)outlinecivic/publicjournalismaseffortsbythenewsmediato revitalizepubliclifebyengagingcitizensintheprocessofagendasetting(1997:3).Itrestsonthe assumptionthatwhencitizensareinvolvedincommunitylifeanddecisionmaking,theywillbe morelikelytoembracethenewsmediaasanintegralsourceofinformationandviewthenewsas centraltotheircivicvalues(Bowman&Bjornlund,1997:3). Verybriefly,JoyceY.M.Nip(2006)outlinesthreebroadgoalsofpublicjournalisminhelping democracy(2006:214): toconnecttothecommunity; toengageindividualsascitizens;and tohelppublicdeliberationinsearchforsolutions. ThesegoalsareconsistentwithonesusedinastudybyIndianaUniversitySchoolofJournalism intotheperceptionsofpublicjournalismamongstAmericanjournalists,andquotedbythePoynter Institute(Nip,2006:214): 1. givingordinarypeopleachancetoexpresstheirviewsonpublicaffairs; 2. motivatingordinarypeopletogetinvolvedinpublicdiscussionsofimportantissues; and 3. pointingpeopletowardpossiblesolutionstosociety'sproblems.

AmongtheconstantfeedbackreceivedfrommediapractitionersintheOverberg,wastheproblem ofhumanresourcecapacityconstraintspreventingcoverageofmanycommunityissues.Inmost instances,themediaentitieswereonepersonoperations,wheretheeditorwasalsothereporter, photographer,designeretc.Inresponsetothis,GAPrana5monthjournalismtrainingcoursefor community activists mainly young women to empower them to become community correspondentsfortheirlocalnewspapers.Itwasinthiscomponentwherethedetailsofintricacies of local government issues were outlined in order to specifically empower the community journaliststoreportonpertinentlocalgovernmentissues.Furthermore,targetedtrainingforexisting ruralmediapractitioners wasundertakenaroundkeyconceptsingenderandlocalgovernment, includingpertinentstoryideas. Thejournalismtraininghadtheaddedgoalofpresentingyoungwomenintheruralareawiththe opportunityofaccessingtheirlocalmediaasasourceofincome,sincetheywouldbepaidfor freelancearticlesthatwerepublished. Conclusion The primary research task around this project remains to evaluate the actual impact of the programmeinrelationtoitsdesiredoutcomes.Thisprocesswillnecessarilyalsoinvolveextracting cruciallearningsaroundtheprocessofprogrammedeliveryandstrategiesonhowsuchaproject canbereplicatedinotherareas.Indeed,acriticalaspectoftheDCparadigminvolvesreflectionand evaluationaroundprogrammeimplementationandservesasthesteppingstonetowardsthedesign andimplementationoffurtherinterventionsintheprocessofdevelopment. References 1. Andersson,N.,HoFoster,A.,Matthis,J.,Marokoane,N.,Mashiane,V.,Mhatre,S., Mitchell,S.,Mokoena,T.,Monasta,L,Ngxowa,N.,Salcedo,M.P.,andSonnekus,H. NationalcrosssectionalstudyofviewsonsexualviolenceandriskofHIVinfectionand AIDSamongSouthAfricanschoolpupils.InBritishMedicalJournal2004(329;952). Availableonlineatwww.bmj.com.AccessedMay2009. 2. Arenstein,J.2005.BetweentheBorgandtheBigBang.RhodesJournalismReview25 (November2005):4950. 3. Boafo,K.2006.ParticipatoryDevelopmentCommunication:AnAfricanPerspective.In BessetteG.(Ed),People,Land,andWater:ParticipatoryDevelopmentCommunicationfor NaturalResourceManagement(pp3148).London:Earthscan/IDRC. 4. Bowman,M.&Bjornlund,L.1997.Civicjournalismandlocalgovernment.InPublic Management79(4):A3A11. 5. Compton,J.2000.CommunicativePoliticsandPublicJournalism.JournalismStudies1(1): 449467. 6. Finlay,A.2003.Panos/JHUHCPHealthMediaAudits,CountryReport:SouthAfrica. Availableatwww.openresearch.co.za www.openresearch.co.za 7. GenderAdvocacyProgramme(GAP).2005.MediaMonitoringSurveyofRuralbased Newspapers.CapeTown:GAP. 8. GenderAdvocacyProgramme(GAP).2006.ReportontheGenderAdvocacyProgramme's 2ndMediaMonitoringSurveyofRuralbasedNewspapers.CapeTown:GAP. 9. GenderLinks&MediaInstituteofSouthernAfrica.2003.GenderandMediaBaseline Study.Johannesburg:GenderLinks. 10. GenderLinks&MediaInstituteofSouthernAfrica(MISA).2006.HIVandAIDSand

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