Publisher's Synopsis
With 342 years of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa, a book of this calibre is essential to contribute to scholarly debates on the decolonisation of the media. After the democratic dispensation in 1994, there was a narrow pursuit of transformation and media freedom while neglecting decolonisation, patriarchal tendencies and the plight of black women journalists who are often vilified while discharging their duties. It was two decades after democracy that the #RhodesMustFall movement, which later evolved into #FeesMustFall movement, reignited debates on decoloniality in the academia. In the same vein, the book advocates for decolonised pedagogy in universities, including journalism curriculum.
That ownership of the media is still skewed towards white - and with only few black companies gradually joining the industry - also brings into doubt media freedom, editorial independence, ethics and integrity among media practitioners. Therefore, the decoloniality movement seeks to confront these structural challenges head-on via dialogue to ensure the integrity of the journalism profession. Decolonising Journalism in South Africa is published at a time in which journalism serves as a watchdog and a critique of a democratic government, and needs to follow a bottom-up social justice approach to become a voice to the voiceless. This book seeks to revolutionise the media by changing the language of reporting of certain issues to a more balanced kind of reporting, characterised by the principles of no fear or favour.
