Browsing by Author "Saleh, Ibrahim"

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    An analysis of the political rhetoric of South African President Jacob Zuma's speeches on climate change
    (2015) Govender, Dayaneethi; Saleh, Ibrahim
    Climate change has a global impact on all sectors of life including politics and the economy; health and food security, social justice and media. There are stark contrasts in the political and scientific debates on climate change. The economic impacts have already gripped the attention of both the political elite and science community, who also recognise the threats on the survival of the human population. Recent global climate change meetings such as the COPs are an indication that politics, and not necessarily science, is at the centre of this environmental challenge. In politics, policy debates are arguments over actions. It is therefore important to understand how the SA government communicates climate change given its status as a leading force in Africa and its insurmountable socio-economic challenges. With a theoretical understanding of Moral Foundation Theory, Steve Vanderheiden’s political theory that addresses climate change justice and framing theory and textual analysis, the researcher analyses President Jacob Zuma’s climate change speeches during COP to identify master narratives, given the president’s visibility and political direction at these high level meetings. This dissertation contributes to the lack of scholarship on how the president communicates climate change within the communication field and general shortage of presidential rhetoric in Africa. Zuma’s rhetoric on climate change indicates that SA’s priority is economic development and this will not be compromised by climate change policy that halts growth in developing nations. Zuma is clear that common but differentiated responsibilities must remain the cornerstone of climate change policy, if fairness, balance and equity are to be realised. He stands by this argument despite growing GHG emissions from some of the developing nations, including South Africa.
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    Assessing news coverage of the South African Legislative laws
    (2013) Ndyondya, Kanyisa; Saleh, Ibrahim
    This thesis attempts to examine the news coverage of South Africa’s legislative laws passed by the Parliament, by looking at the coverage of print media using qualitative content analysis. The thesis aims to understand the dominant messages being conveyed within the news texts and reader comments, specifically whose voice was represented, who was the intended audience and what the overall tone was. The researcher argues that taking editorial positions, the control of content and toning down of the issues is determined by journalists which they consider doing such as national interest. In this geo-political context of South Africa, the engagement of media in covering the issue of legislative laws places an important area of study. It is the media that reports events, responses, criticisms etc. in relation to the legislative laws, on the basis of which various actors and concerned people make their views about the event. As well, how reporting is done, shaped, framed; what sources have been used in news; what roles journalists play in the news coverage; and how ownership of media differs in news reporting and coverage very much reflects on whether or not and to what extent the newspapers respects legislative laws are interesting questions to be answered. This study is based on the case study of the coverage of New Age and The Times. Despite journalists being expected to serve the national interest of the state, differences can be observed in coverage, reporting and providing spaces to news and articles related to New Age and The Times. This hypothesis also supports the argument projected in the thesis that there are real ideological reasons why the media do not oppose the status quo, based on ideological lens grounded by the state and reporting system could rarely go against the establishments implying to the commitment to patriotism and to the nation which the government represents (Wicker, p. 19 cited in Malek and Wiegand).
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    Assessing the growing impact and potential of social networking mediums in crisis communication in South Africa : A Case Study of the South African Protection of State Information Bill
    (2015) Moyo, Nokuthula; Saleh, Ibrahim
    With new political developments breeding opportunities for crises, proliferation of new media types increasing exposure to crises, there is a growing awareness of the potential, influence, impact and capabilities of social media. Focusing on South Africa's Secrecy Bill, a crisis with implications on access to information and media freedom, this study provides a discussion of the dynamics of crisis communication online. By undertaking an analysis of the uses of social media during deliberations of the Secrecy Bill and its implications, the study sought to explore how young South Africans have embraced social media as a communication tool. An examination of the literature reveals that younger generations are frequent bloggers and users of Twitter, a popular social media site. Focusing on these two platforms, through a qualitative content analysis, findings show that their contribution to deliberations was mainly to make sense of the crisis and distribute relevant materials relating to the debate.
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    Assessing the role of the media in influencing confidence levels within state institutions
    (2013) Landu, Yoliswa; Saleh, Ibrahim; Mboyisa, Mlondolozi
    The purpose of this thesis is to determine the role played by the media in creating a level of awareness in the public mind, and an associated level of trust and confidence within the legislative arm of government. This is achieved through a qualitative research methodology that includes indepth interviews with experts in the field of political communication, particularly journalists and politicians who are members of parliament. Detailed in-depth questionnaires were also used to ascertain the views of these respondents on the same topic. The research also does a comparative content analysis of two newspapers the Cape Argus and the New Age. The key finding of this thesis is that the state is responsible for its own confidence levels without the role or impact of the media – a view not shared by some members of parliament and communications experts. Indeed, members of parliament feel strongly that the media does not portray a true understanding of the work of parliament and that they should do more than what is currently presented by the media houses across the spectrum in the field of communication.
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    Crisis communication in Africa
    (2013) Saleh, Ibrahim
    The course provides students with the necessary preparation in terms of how to draw up a crisis communication plan and it equips them with the skills to effectively implement their media plan(s) during crises. In this course students will: 1. Learn the anatomy of crisis communication case studies through a comprehensive understanding of the typical, generic anatomy to every crisis. At the end of the course, students will be very familiar with the basic structure, components, and trajectory to manage how to diffuse the emotional intensity of emergency situations and respond with clarity and vision in the heat of a crisis. 2. Learn the different perspectives of effective communications strategies in terms of handling emergency situations; this is where the students consider the many variables based on hands on experience and thorough knowledge to harness the media in order to calm, rather than inflame, the situation. 3. Meet the course’s other four main objectives. These are students’ anticipation of their communication needs during a crisis; orientating the students on how to prepare a crisis communication plan; mentor the students on developing messages to be put across; and acquire the appropriate knowledge and skills in dealing with the media during a crisis. 4. Be nurtured in their research interests and capabilities with the aim of future collaborations amongst faculty, course participants, and institutions in crisis communication when it comes to issues like global warming and governance, conflict resolution and peace building, abductions, and outbreaks of pandemic diseases.
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    Exploring the political communication dynamics in South Africa’s platinum industry: the case of Marikana
    (2015) Mcbride, Sindi-Leigh Tenielle; Saleh, Ibrahim
    After two decades of democracy, poverty and inequality remain at the heart of the development malaise in South Africa. Despite investor-friendly environments and economic growth forged during the previous administration, recent unrest in the platinum industry highlighted the strained relationship between labour and business, State and society, and the macabre consequences of not paying attention to these tensions. With the strife between labour and business appearing intractable, political and economic challenges evinced by Marikana and consequent events should be seen as the canary in the South African mine, the bedrock of the political economy. This MA thesis of political communication starts from three premises: one, the complex set of social, political and economic processes communicated via the news media invite analysis of national development and can be explored using qualitative analysis of mediated products. As skeins of connectivity, mediated political information structures social imaginaries within a nation, and thus contributes to development trajectories. Two, within political communication processes there exists potential for a ‘Social Justice of Communication’, as theorized by Jurgen Habermas. Three, the growing convergence between the previously separable areas of politics and communication demonstrates the urgent need to address not only conventional media effects, but also the implications of nationwide social exclusion, particularly in the context of the public sphere. Thus, the remit of this thesis is the study of political communication dynamics and the roles and nature of mediated content within the process of national development. This thesis studies media coverage of the Marikana massacre in 2012 and the wage strike led by the Association for Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) in 2014. Political communication in the context of the platinum industry, and how this relates to theories and practices of democracy in South Africa, is analysed using qualitative analysis of online news articles from four national newspapers: The Times Live; The Daily Maverick; The Mail & Guardian and; The Business Day. Using protest event analysis as a prism for exploring political communication, this research investigates indicators of the status quo in South Africa’s democracy, as communicated via the news media.
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    Journalism curricula in the Arab region: a dilemma of content, context and contest
    (University of Cape Town, 2011-08) Saleh, Ibrahim
    This research attempts to address and evaluate the 2007 UNESCO Model Curricula after a regional consultation meeting on the possibilities of adaptation of the model in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of the Arab region at the University of Bahrain. The model was supposed to be a generic model that could be localised and adapted to match each country’s specific needs. The rapid strides in different mass media industries in the Arab region have opened up new opportunities for the field of journalism education and the profession itself as never before.This transformation of societies have urged global standards in educational components and curricula that address specialized skills and knowledge, and opened up new possibilities of launching education programmes in journalism at new universities located at various geographic locations of the region. As a result, both local regional and international agencies have come up with offers for undergraduate and post graduate/Masters programmes in Journalism or communication studies.
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    The male world of football media and beer drinking: a case study of sports bars in Cape Town, South Africa
    (2014) Umansky, Dimitrij; Saleh, Ibrahim
    The present study explores the practice of football media viewing in sports bars. It is based on the constructivism research paradigm (Guba & Lincoln, 2005), a conceptualisation of media as a tool for social behaviour (Couldry, 2003) and James Wertsch’s (1998) Mediated Action Theory. The study analyses two dimensions of football media viewing in sports bars: it focuses on the psychological motivations and the socio-cultural structure. The study’s main objective is to understand both the role of media for the practice of football media viewing in sports bars and the constitution of gender during the practice. It is a subject worthy of in-depth examination as there is a lack of holistic, contextualised and critical research in media studies, particularly in the field of football media consumption. The study applied ethnographic observations of two sports bars in a middle-class suburb in Cape Town as well as on-site and off-site interviews. During this time the researcher balanced subjective experiences with social meanings and scientific theories in a reflexive and flexible manner. The results reveal a complex network of individual purposes and socio-cultural tools. On the individual level they explain which media aspects are important to serve patrons’ needs and why male patrons discriminate against women. On the socio-cultural level the results show how media, gender and other tools interact to influence patrons’ behaviour. The study concludes by suggesting how media can be used to create enjoyable social environments and how social structures can be altered to create a more equal society beyond the sports bar environment.
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    Media and National Development Policy
    (2013) Saleh, Ibrahim
    This lecture introduces the role of media in national development. This particular lecture series explores the role of communication in the development of an effective socio-political relationship between the government and its people, and the development of effective information and innovation dissemination models to encourage the development of a national discourse. Part 1 of a series on the role of the media in national development.
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    Media and National Development Policy (2)
    (2013) Saleh, Ibrahim
    This lecture material demonstrates the responsible use, ethics and safety issues in using electronic media. Part 2 of a series on the role of the media in national development. Click for Part 3.
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    Media and National Development Policy (3)
    (2013) Saleh, Ibrahim
    Part three in a series on the role of the media in national development. This lecture explores the different developmental paradigms that have informed South Africa's approach to using the media for the cause of national development. Specific topics discussed include the conceptualisation of information literacy in the South African school curriculum and the role of ICTs in national development.
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    Media and National Development Policy (4)
    (2013) Saleh, Ibrahim
    This lecture focuses on ethics and responsibility in media, with a focus on information literacy development and legacy in post-apartheid South Africa. Part 4 of the lecture series on the role of the media in national development policy. Click for Part 5.
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    Media and National Development Policy (5)
    (2014) Saleh, Ibrahim
    This lecture looks at the role of the media in South Africa's national development paradigm. Part 5 of the lecture series on the role of the media in national development policy. Click for Part 5.
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    Media and National Development Policy (6)
    (2014) Saleh, Ibrahim
    This lecture looks at the role of the media in disseminating and developing information about climate change in South Africa. Part 6 of the lecture series on the role of the media in national development policy.
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    Media and National Development Policy (8)
    (2014) Saleh, Ibrahim
    This is the final lecture series in the Media and Development set, focusing on the interplay (or lack thereof) of public and academic journalism in South Africa, including media reform and the democracy. Part 4 of the lecture series on the role of the media in national development policy.
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    Media and National Development Policy - 7
    (2013) Saleh, Ibrahim
    These lecture notes looks explore the role of the media in the development, refinement and criticism of the 'African Renaissance' concept, specifically with regard to the development of a shared social imaginary or political vocabulary in South Africa. This resource is part of the Media and National Development in South Africa lecture series.
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    Media sexual and reproductive health taboos in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
    (2011) Saleh, Ibrahim
    Female adolescents in many developing societies are still facing various forms of discrimination due to their gender, race and class. It is thus mandatory to think of sexual and reproductive challenges as a single service delivery system mindset, and look across systems instead of the current dilemma of lack of vision. Among the many obstacles facing media literacy in MENA is the sexual and reproductive health issues in which premarital sexual relationships are generally forbidden, and the media tackling of them is often considered taboo.
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    Revolution in Egypt and the Middle East
    (2014-09-08) Pallo, Jordan Z.; Jeppie, Shamil; Saleh, Ibrahim; Tayob, Abdulkader
    This lecture can be used to supplement lectures in history, film and media or politics related to the 2011 revolution in Egypt. The lecture can be used as a general interest podcast. This seminar discusses the revolution in Egypt and the Middle East, specifically: 1. Events in Egypt and how it relates to politics in Africa and South Africa 2. Events that led to the revolt in Egypt 3. Egypt and political communication - as well as personal reflections by Dr Ibrahim Saleh 4. Role of islam and politics of the Muslim Brotherhood The image used is Victory-Crowd by darkroomproductions and is available under a Creative Commons Non Commercial Lincese.
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    The role of branding in the success of the Economic Freedom Fighters( EFF)
    (2016) Horwitz, Dean; Saleh, Ibrahim
    Much has been written about the political mediatisation of society, often through the lenses of the media, its institutional rules and processes. These studies have focused on either side of the debate, choosing to look at the media itself, or its influence on the political subsystem and vice versa. This has resulted in the formation of a gap in the literature around the issue of the relationship between media and governance particularly in the political branding area. This thesis focuses on political branding in South Africa and explores the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)'s "brand image" amongst voters in the last national elections 2014. The thesis thus is considered an exploratory study that uses in-depth interviews combined with primary qualitative and a preliminary secondary quantitative research. The data from the different research methods were thematically analysed by the researcher through the projective technique analysis of political branding in South Africa. The main objective of this thesis is to consider how the EFF used the media function within the current commercial media spheres to shape and influence political branding in South Africa. In addition, this thesis will look into how the EFF positioned itself on top of the current political dynamic in South Africa. The thesis ends with a number theoretical reflections and directions for future empirical research to explore the relation between media and governance in depth in dealing with South Africa as a society in transition. It also acknowledges its limitations.
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    What underlies children, media and democracy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
    (2011) Saleh, Ibrahim
    The daunting reality of the contemporary world is that autocracies and semi-authoritarian states lack the basic foundation for building a democracy. The media could be a powerful entertainment and educational tool for children, given the right programming. Media also play a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy, because they simply make us aware of the various social, political and economical activities and developments taking place around the world. Moreover, a democratic system of governance is supposed to enable citizens to choose their rulers and live equally within a state of law and order, where the citizens are the key factor in the process.