Abstract
The existing body of work on media and elections in South Africa has mostly examined television and print media, specifically analysing the coverage of elections by the public service broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the commercial print media. This research highlights a significant lack of pluralism and diversity in electoral narratives. The study departs from previous research by focusing on radio, the most popular medium in South Africa which transcends both linguistic and geographic boundaries. This qualitative research investigated how the SABC public radio news covered the 2021 local government elections (LGEs). The study utilised the Habermasian public sphere concept and the social responsibility theory to analyse the news and current affairs programming of five radio stations: Ukhozi FM, Lesedi FM, Thobela FM, Phalaphala FM and SAFM. The research examined four key aspects: (1) the degree to which the SABC radio news and current affairs programmes served as a platform for relevant stakeholders, (2) the effectiveness of these programmes in informing citizens about the elections, (3) the structure and content of news and current affairs programmes across the five radio stations, and (4) the adherence to the editorial policy.
This study demonstrates that SABC radio news provided a relatively adequate platform for political parties, citizens, and other interested parties, based on the analysis of 50 news and current affairs programme recordings and 30 semi-structured interviews with SABC journalists. However, in certain local languages radio stations, especially those with a significant number of listeners but with limited resources, were incapable of accommodating all political parties, candidates, residents, and other stakeholders. The SABC radio provided adequate information to its listeners, although with some constraints and prohibitions. This was evident in the disparities between the news of the four African language radio stations and the English radio station, SAFM. Furthermore, despite the significance of service delivery as a pivotal concern in local government elections, none of the SABC radio stations had a special show focused on this matter. Only segments of the Service Delivery Gauge Programme were broadcast on some of the SABC radio stations. The programme was, however, fully televised on SABC news television and covered on the SABC digital platform. There are two key factors which impact how news and current affairs programmes are constructed. African languages are not afforded equitable treatment compared to English. African language programming is
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compromised since journalists mostly broadcast news and current affairs in English before translating it into African languages. Also, SABC news has implemented newsroom convergence, which has led to the integration of radio, television, and digital media into one newsroom. This has important implications for SABC radio since it puts it at risk of being eclipsed by television's hegemony.
The study further demonstrates that the implementation of ethical leadership and management throughout the election season is accountable for the overall impartiality of media reporting at the five radio stations. The findings indicate that there was a strong commitment to the editorial policy in terms of professionalism and respect for journalism ethics. The newsroom cultivated an environment of lively discussions and emphasised strict adherence to the editorial policy, firmly opposing any kind of political interference evident in previous elections. The research contends that ethical leadership alone may not be adequate in addressing the concerns of the South African population, particularly when issues such as funding, resources, and unfair treatment of African languages are disregarded.