TowardsaresearchagendaforlocalnewsmediaandthefightagainstHIV/AIDS

RaashiedGalant Unpublishedpaper.UniversityofStellenbosch,DepartmentofJournalism August2008 Introduction Thisessaywillaimtodeveloparesearchagendaontheroleofruralcommercialnewsmedia alongwithruralbasedmediapractitionersinthefightagainstHIV/AIDS,withspecificreference totheOverbergregionoftheWesternCapeProvince.Theessaywillexplorethegeneral pronouncementsthatmediatheoristsinAfricaandaroundtheworldhavemadewithrespectto media/communicationandtheHIV/AIDSpandemic.Muchofwhathasbeenstudiedandwritten aboutthemediaandHIV/AIDShasincludedSouthAfrica.ThisisbecauseSouthAfricaremains theepicentreoftheglobalepicentreofthepandemic,whichisSubSaharanAfrica. Generally,therehasbeennodearthinattemptstotackleHIV/AIDSpracticallyandtheoretically acrossthefieldsofhealth,politics,economics,business,education,cultureandofcourse, communication.Thisessaywilllookatthesuggestedandidealisedrolesthatcommercialnews mediacanplayinthefightagainstHIV/AIDS.Itwillthenreflectontheuniquelocationof commercialruralmedia,andthenspecificallyonthesituationwithrespecttoHIV/AIDSandthe mediaintheOverbergregion. MyinterestintheOverbergregion ThenearesttowntotheCapeTownMetrofromtheOverbergDistrict,isGrabouw.Thisis60km fromthecity.ThefurthesttowneastisSwellendam,whichis200kmfromCapeTown.Theentire districtisroughly60kmindiameter,andincludesupto30differenttownsandsmallsettlements.Its populationintotalisaround237000.ThelargesttownsintheOverbergareHermanusand Grabouwrespectively,eachwithapopulationofjustunder24000(OverbergDistrictMunicipality [ODM],2008:50). Overthepast3yearssince2005,IhavebeenworkingintheOverbergregionaspartofmyjobas theWomen&MediaProjectCoordinatorattheGenderAdvocacyProgramme(GAP).Theworkin thisprogrammeinvolvedraisingawarenessaboutgendersensitivereportingamongstmedia practitioners,anddevelopingcapacityforcommunityactiviststocriticallyengagewiththeirlocal media. Iwillreflectonsomeofthiswork,whichinvolvedtraining,research,eventsandspecial publicationsoverthesepast3years.Overandabovethis,thelocationoftheOverbergalsoprovides mewithanidealopportunitytoreflectonandapplysomeofthelearningsthathaveemergedfrom thepolemicsaroundtheroleofthemediainthefightagainstHIV/AIDS. TheroleofthemediainthefightagainstHIV/AIDS TherearetwobasicstreamsintheworldwidefightagainsttheHIV/AIDSpandemic:oneisthe scientificstreamwhichisconcernedwithfindingavaccineoratleastalesstoxicantiretroviral. Theotheristhesocialstream,whichisprimarilyconcernedwithbehaviouralchange(Swanepoel,

2005:62;64).Thisbehaviouralchange,inquiteaprofoundway,isapplicableto,atonce,allof society,andthenalsoindifferentwaystodifferentgroupsandstratainsociety.Inotherwords,itis agiven,thatHIV/AIDSaffectsallofsocietyatonce,andthenalsodifferentsectionsofsocietyin differentways.Whichmeansthatdifferentsectorsofsocietygovernment,business,educators, healthworkersandsofortharerequiredtorespond[i.e.changetheirinstitutionalbehaviours]in somewayortheother.Atthesametimeallofsociety,atonce,isrequiredtopracticesafesex, whetheryouareinfectedornot.Thepriorityinallrespectsistoensurethatthosewhoarenot infectedremainso,andthosewhoareinfectedcanliveindignityandhappiness.Itismainlyinthis locationi.e.thesocial,societywideimpactofHIV/AIDSonindividualsandinstitutionsthatthe debatearoundtheroleofthemediaisfound. ThestudiesandresearchintotheroleofmediainthefightagainstHIV/AIDSfallswithinthe broaderfieldofcommunicationandHIV/AIDS,theoverallobjectiveofwhichremainstofacilitate behaviouralchangeofsomesortortheother(Swanepoel,2005:64).Heretherangeofmediathatis spokenaboutvarieswidelyanditisusefultobrieflyfirstexplorethesedifferenttypesofmediathat fallwithinthebroaderfield. Firstlythereisthemassmedia,whichbroadlydefinedisthemediathatreach[es]arelativelylarge audienceofanonymousreaders(Croteau&Hoynes,2000:7).VirtuallyallthesubsequentmediaI willlistbelow,fallswithinthisdefinitionofmassmedia,whichiswhytheneedtobriefly differentiatebetweenthedifferentmediatypes,allofwhichhavebeenexploredintheoryand practicewithrespecttotheirroleinthefightagainstHIV/AIDS.Ilisttheminnoparticularorder: Entertainmentmediawhichinvolvesthegenreofedutainmentandhasbecomeavery importantplatformforHIV/AIDScommunicationmessagesinSouthAfrica,acrossthe mediumsoftelevision,radio,printandoutdooradvertising(Finlay,2003:7); Specialandpurposive(Swanepoel,2005:65)massmediathisincludesthepublicinterest andpublichealthmediadistributedbygovernmentandnongovernmentorganisations (NGO),thesponsoredmediaadvertisingorinsertsaboutHIV/AIDS,andthecorporate mediapublicationsdistributedinclosedpopulations; Communitymediawhichislessabouttheactualtechnology,asitisabouttherelationship ofownershipthatmembersofacommunityenjoyoverthecommunicationplatform.In SouthAfrica,themainvestigesofcommunitymediaarefoundinradio,andaroundthe worldthissectorhasbeenanimportantfocusofparticipatorydevelopmentcommunication programmesaroundHIV/AIDS; Nonprofitmediawhileinsomeinstancescommunitymediacanworkonaforprofit basis,notallnonprofitmediaarenecessarilycommunitymedia.Themainoutputofnon profitmediaisfromthemyriadofNGOsanddevelopmentorganisationsproducing consistentmediaconcerningHIV/AIDSacrosstheplatformsofprint,broadcastandthe internet(ICT);andfinally Newsmediahereiswherethecraftandprofessionofjournalismislocated,andwhichis themediathatIspeakaboutandfocusoninthisessay. Vestigesofjournalismandnewsmediaarefoundinthecommunityandnonprofitsector,but overwhelminglyaroundtheworld,includinginSouthAfrica,journalismandnewsarelocatedinthe commercialmediasector.Verybroadly,journalisminvolvesthepracticeofgathering,writing, reporting,editingorpresentingnewsonamassmediaplatform,butnaturallysuchaneutral definitionhaslongsincebeenreevaluated.Mostcentraltothisreevaluationisthecontentious topicofnews,sinceitisrecognisedtobeavalueladenconceptthatvariesconsiderablythrough differentprofessional,culturalandpoliticalcontexts.

Inremovingtheconceptofnewsfromthedefinitionofjournalism,Medsger(inBerger2000:81) offersadefinitionthatdescribesjournalismasaformofrealistcommunication,viatext,images and/orsound.Berger(2000)furtherexpandsonthisdefinitionbyexplaining(2000:81): Itislesstheappearanceormaterialformofcommunicationthatis relevant,thantheprinciplesbroughttobearthuselementsof journalismcanbefoundinentertainment,educationandeven publicrelations,andtheseelementsmayalsobelackingwithin informationalformats.

Theoverridingcriterionandcharacteristicofjournalismandthenews,isthetruth.Asa professionalpractice,thisisinvariablythefirstandbasicethicalpracticethatjournalistshaveto uphold.Eventhoughinsomeinstancesthismightnotbeso,i.e.onoccasionwhenmediapublishor broadcastanuntruth[asopposedtofiction];ageneraltruthintherealmofjournalisminthemass media,isthatwhatjournalistswriteandreportonisinfactthetruth,andthatthereaderand/or audiencecanexpecttofindandbelievetruthfulreportsinthenewsmediaaboutrealandtrueevents intheworld(Peterson2001:201202).Thatcriticalmediatheoristsonnumerousoccasionshave pointedoutthedubiousselectionsofwhichtruthsaretold[i.e.itistrue,butisitnews?]aswellas thelatentandoftendivergenttruthsthatemergethroughthetellingandpresentationofnews,are besidethepoint.Theexpectationremainsthatjournalismandthenewsshouldcompriseofthetruth andjournalistsshouldacttruthfully. TheidealisedroleofnewsmediawithrespecttotheHIV/AIDSpandemic Attheoutset,theoverallroleofthemediaonthisissueinvolvesitsperformanceinmediating democraticdebateinthepublicspherewithrespecttoeffectivesocietalresponsestoHIVand AIDS(Jacobs&Johnson,2007:2).Additionally,itinvolvesthemannerinwhichitscontentor coverage[informationrole]cancountermisinformation,reducestigmaandbringabout behaviouralchangethatisnecessarytocurbthespreadofHIV/AIDS(StallyinPanos,2004, 2004:12). Inboththeidealised,normativearticulationofthemedia,andthedevelopmentalparadigmof communication,theorists,activistsandresearchershavevariouslypostulatedtheroleofthemedia withrespecttoHIV/AIDStoincorporate: Servingasavaluablewatchdogbyholdingthepowerful[and/orthegovernment]to accountfortheirresponsesorlackthereoftothecrisis(Berger,2004:4;Wasserman& DeBeer,2004:85).ThisisalsotheheartoftheFourthEstate,orstewardshipidealof themediainademocraticsociety(Wasserman&DeBeer,2004:85,89). Actingasacourierforpublichealthmessaging(Finlay,2003:14)andcomplimenting publichealthinformationdrivesbyinfluencingpublichealthpolicytochangethe conditionsthatsustainpublichealthproblems(Stein,2002:5)[originalemphasis]. Stimulatingpublicdebateanddialoguewhileatthesametimechallenginglongestablished socialnormsthatpreventmorewidespreadchangesinbehaviour(Panos,2004:12).This wouldincludethemedia'sroleofelevatingtheinterestarticulationanddeliberationof HIV/AIDSinsocietybyassembling,explaining,debatinganddisseminatingthebest availableinformationandideas(Jacobs&Johnson,2007:2). Providingopportunitiesformanyperspectivesandvoicestobeheard(Panos,2004:12). Theseareamongthecelebratedidealsbehindthearticulationanddevelopmentgoalofan independent,pluralisticandfreepressinAfrica(WindhoekDeclarationinMISA,

2007:252). PromotingadvocacyongoodgovernanceandaccountabilityincombatingHIV/AIDS (Panos,2004:29).Thisisalsotheessenceoftheprocessofmediateddeliberationthat involveshowwelljournalistsrepresentandservicethepublic(Jacobs&Johnson,2007:2 3).Stein(2002)furtheraddsfleshtothisconceptbypointingoutthatnewsmediaadvocacy canthereforeexpecttoinfluencethelargerissuesthatcreateanenvironmentdetermining personalbehaviourwhilealsoadvocatingforconstructiveapproachestodealingwiththe epidemic(2002:5&8). Facilitatingcommunicationforsocialchangewhichaimstotackletheunderlyingissues ofdiscrimination,povertyandmarginalisationseentobedrivingindividualbehaviourand theHIV/AIDSepidemicinthefirstplace(Stein,2002:6).Themedia'sroleinthisregard wouldbetosupportdialogueanddebateonthekeyissuesofconcernandmoveaway frommerelydesigning,testinganddeliveringmessages(Stein,2002:6).Andfinally SettinganagendathatamountstobringingHIV/AIDSintothepublicawareness(Finlay, 2003:18)whileatthesametimeestablishingtheprioritiesofthepolicyanddevelopmental agendasfortacklingtheissue(Berger,2004:3;DeWet2004:98).

Inmeasuringand/orexploringthemedia'sactualperformancewithrespecttoanyoralloftheabove ideals,researchershaveovertheyearsconductedqualitativeandquantitativeanalysisofmedia content;interviewedfocusgroupsandsamplegroupsinthemedia;appliedanalyticalconceptual toolssuchasframing,agendasettinganddiscourseanalysistothemedia'sreportingaroundspecific incidentsinvolvingHIV/AIDSorgeneralHIV/AIDSreportingoverspecificperiodsand; researchershaveconductedaudiencestudiesintotheperceptionsandexpectationsthatmedia consumershaveovertheroleofthemediaandthemessagestheytransmitwithrespectto HIV/AIDS.Inshort,therehasbeenaconsiderableamountofstudyandanalysisaboutthemedia's coverageofHIV/AIDS,particularlyinAfrica.InSouthAfrica,thesestudieshavefocused[almost exclusively]onmainstreamurbanbasednewsmediaandjournalists,totheexclusion[and marginalisation]ofruralbasednewsmediaandpractitioners.Soinotherwords,inthedebateand researchintotheroleofthenewsmediainthefightagainstHIV/AIDSinSouthAfrica,ruralbased mediaandmediapractitionershavebeenvirtuallyignored. HowdoesthemediainSouthAfricameasureup NotwithstandingthatthroughouttheSouthernAfricanregion,themediaremainedthemajorsource ofinformationaboutHIV/AIDS(Panos,2004:48);thatovertheyearsthemediaintheregion, includingSouthAfrica,haveincreasedcoverageofthepandemictremendously(Panos,2004:24); andthatjournalistshavegraduallybecomemoresensitiveandpoliticallycorrect(Panos,2004:31) inthewaytheyreportonHIV/AIDStheimpactonbehaviouralchangehasapparentlybeen minimaland,insomecases,notdiscernable(Panos,2004:13).Thisimpactonbehaviouralchange atindividuallevelshouldnot,however,detractfromtheidealssetoutintheprevioussection,which aremorecruciallylinkedtothepublicserviceperformanceofthemediainthecontextof deliberativedemocracy(Jacobs&Johnson,2007:2)andpolicyorinstitutionalbehaviouralchange. Thusithaslesstodowiththeactualindividualbehaviouralchangeimperativesasinthecaseofthe othermediaemployedinthefightagainstHIV/AIDS. Inthebroadschemeofthings,andstemmingfromthenumerousstudiesthathavebeenconducted intotheSouthAfricanmainstreammedia'scoverageofHIV/AIDS,thefollowingfindingshave emerged: ThecoverageofHIVremainsextremelylow(GenderLinks&MISA,2006:1;Jacobs& Johnson,2007:11).Soforinstance,ofthe9248storiesthatweremonitoredinSouthAfrica

aspartoftheHIVandAIDSGenderBaselineStudy[GBS](GenderLinks&MISA,2006), only2%mentionedorfocusedonthetopic(GenderLinks&MISA,2006:5).The implicationisthat,eventhoughreportingonthetopicgenerallyincreased,HIV/AIDS storieswerenotgivenprominenceandprioritywhencomparedtootherformsofnews (Panos,2004:30). PeoplelivingwithHIVorAIDSarehardlygivenavoiceinthemedia(GenderLinks& MISA,2006:1;Jacobs&Johnson,2007:11;Stein,2002:20).Inreportsmonitoredinthe GBS,peoplelivingwithHIVandAIDSconstitutedonly6%ofsources,withofficials, internationalagenciesandexpertsconstitutingthemajorityofsourcesonthetopic (GenderLinks&MISA,2006:67). Intermsofthedepthofcoverage,JacobsandJohnson(2007)foundthatmedia coveragedidnotreflecttheurgencyofthecrisisasitfocusedprimarilyon conflictsaroundHIV/AIDSpolicy,andspecificallytheconflictbetween governmentandAIDSactivists(2007:2,11;Finlay,2003:15).Thisamountedtothe mediafailingtoexaminethereasonsbehindstigmaanddenial,andnotadequately engagingwithorseekingouttheviewsofpeoplelivingwithAIDS(Jacobs& Johnson,2007:11). Overallcoverageintheregion,includingSouthAfrica,hasbeencharacterisedas eventdrivenandprimarilyfocusedonstatistics,speeches,workshopsand conferences,whilepertinentissueswerenotbeinginvestigated(Panos,2004:24,27). Inseveralspecificinstances,themedia'scoverageofHIV/AIDShasbeenfoundtobe frequentlyunbalanced,inaccurateandsensationalized(Finlay,2003:18;Panos, 2004:30,31;Jacobs&Johnson,2007:11).Amongtheinaccuraciesthatcreptinwas misleadingstatisticsorreportsonAIDScures,whichwasdescribedasboth irresponsibleandgivingfalsehopetothosewhodidnotunderstandHIV/AIDS issues(Panos,2004:30).Oneofthenegativeconsequencesstemmingfrom sensationalcoveragewasthefactthatitincreasedstigmaandfearwithrespectto theepidemic(Stein,2002:19). Withrespecttoframinganalysisofmediacoverage,severalfindingsareusefultolist here: mediacoveragehasbeenfoundtofocusontheplightofAIDSsufferersas victimsinneedofhelp(Jacobs&Johnson,2007:17)leadingtothe unintendedpromotionofanattitudeofgrouphelplessnessinthefaceofthe epidemic(Stein,2002:19).Specificallyinthecontextofmothertochild transmission,womenwereeitherrepresentedas'victims'oras'guilty'for infectingtheirunbornchildren(Siyam'keylainFinlay,2003:17); earlyreporting[pre2000]characterisedHIV/AIDSassolelyagayepidemic (Finlay,2003:6),whilemorerecentcoveragehadthetendencytoframethe diseaseasonethataffectsblackpeopleonly(Finlay,2003:6);andfinally, JacobsandJohnson(2007)foundthatwhenthemediabrokewiththefocus onthepoliticalconflictaroundtheepidemic,thecrisiswasdefinedvery narrowlyasahealthissueratherthananissueofsocioeconomicinequality (2007:2).Itwasonlylargelyduetothegrassrootssocialmovementaround AIDSinSouthAfricainthe1990s,undertheleadershipoftheTreatment ActionCampaign,thatthefightagainstAIDScametobeframedasahuman rightsissue(Jacobs&Johnson,2007:6).However,thisdidlittletoinfluence themedia,andtheconflictframeremainedthedominantwayinwhichthe mediaunderstooditsinformationrolewithregardtotheAIDSepidemic (Jacobs&Johnson,2007:11).

Thereareveryfewpositiveobservationsemerging,exceptthoselistedearlieratthestartofthis section,viz,theincreasedcoverageandthechangeinmorelanguagesensitivereportage.Afew morepositiveobservationsthatemergefromthequantitativefindingsoftheGBSinclude: thereisconsiderabledifferenceincoveragebetweenmediahouses(GenderLinks& MISA,2006:1).Henceinthecontextofthe2%ofHIV/AIDScoverage,weekly paperscarriedupto9%ofthiscoveragewhiledailypapersaveragedbetween1% and2%(GenderLinks&MISA,2006:1,6).Thisindicatestheremaywellbe exceptionstothegeneralresearchfindingslistedabove; womenlivingwithAIDSwerebecomingmorevocal(GenderLinks&MISA, 2006:1).Hence,ofthe6%ofinstanceswherepeoplelivingwithHIV/AIDSwere sourcedinthemedia,63%ofthetimeitwaswomenspeaking(GenderLinks& MISA,2006:1);and thereisarelativelyhighnumberoforiginalstories(GenderLinks&MISA,2006:1). MostofthestoriesonHIV/AIDSwereoriginalstories,writtenbyjournalists,rather thanobtainedfromagenciesandguestwriters(GenderLinks&MISA,2006:1).This meantthatnewsroomsareinvestingresourcesinobtainingoriginalstories(Gender Links&MISA,2006:1). Itwillnotbefairtomerelylistthesegeneralfindingsintotheperformanceofthemediawithout alsoreflectingontherecognisedconstraintswithinthemediaaswellasthepossibleexplanations forthenatureofsomeofthereporting.Iwilldothisinthecontextofexploringaresearchagenda intotheroleofcommercialruralmediainthefightagainstHIV/AIDSintheOverbergregion. HIV/AIDSintheOverbergRegionoftheWesternCape TheOverbergislocatedinSouthAfrica'sthirdrichestprovince(Koenderman,2006:3)andtheone withthelowestHIV/AIDSprevalenceratesinthecountry(DepartmentofHealth2006:11). Nevertheless,withapopulationofaround237500,theoverwhelmingmajority(around70%)ofthe OverbergspopulationearnlessthanR1500permonth(OverbergDistrictMunicipality[ODM], 2008:43).TheOverbergMunicipalitystatesinits20082009IntegratedDevelopmentPlanReport thatthemajorityofhouseholdsinthedistrictcanberegardedasrelativelypoor,while28,3%of householdsarelivingonorevenbelowthebreadline(ODM,2008:42).Blackandcolouredpeople makeuparound80%oftheOverbergspopulation,whiletherestarewhite(ODM,2008:24). Withrespecttoincomedistribution,whitesaremainlyhighearnersanddominatethetopendofthe scale,whileblacksaredisproportionatelyrepresentedinthelowerincomebracketsandfadeawayat higherincomebrackets(ODM,2008:43).Thetownsinthedistrictinclude:Grabouw,Villiersdorp, Botrivier,Kleinmond,Hawston,Hermanus,Stanford,Caledon,Riviersonderend,Swellendam, BredasdorpandGansbaai.Thedistrictismadeupoffourlocalmunicipalities,viz(inorderofsize ofpopulation):TheewaterskloofLocalMunicipality(TLM),OverstrandLocalMunicipality(OLM); SwellendamLocalMunicipality(SLM)and;AgulhasLocalMunicipality(ALM). Tuberculosis(TB)andHIV/AIDShaveasinisterlinkintheOverberg.HIVprevalenceinthe Overbergstandsat4.10%(WesternCapeProvincialGovernment,2007:2),whichmeansthereare closeonto10000peoplelivingwithHIV/AIDSintheOverberg.InthegreaterOverbergBoland region,HIV/AIDS(at10.8%)andTB(at12.7%)accountforthemostprematuredeaths,morethan homicideandroadtrafficdeaths(Groenewald,Bradshaw,VanNiekerk,Jefferies&VanDer Merwe,2007:910). TBoverallistheleadingcauseofdeathintheOverberg(Groenewaldetal,2007:12),while

projectionsforallareasintheOverbergshowthatHIV/AIDSprevalenceandnumbersofdeathwill continuetorise(ODM2008,45).BecauseoftheincreasedsusceptibilityofHIVpositivepeopleto TBdiseaseandmortality,itbecomesevenmoreimportanttoputinplacemeasuresthatwillcontrol andaddresstheHIV/AIDSepidemicinthedistrict(Groenewaldetal,2007:15). In2005,thenumberofreporteddeathsthroughAIDSforeachmunicipalitywerereportedas follows(Groenewaldetal,2007:37): Overstrand1252 Theewaterskloof997 Agulhas327 Swellendam306 ThesefactsandfiguresaremerelytoshowthatHIV/AIDSisindeedarealityintheOverberg.My assumptionisthatthepolicydirectioninthedistrictbothbygovernmentandnongovernmentrole playersshouldbeexpectedtofollowthethreebroadpriorityareasofprevention,careand treatment. RURALCOMMERCIALMEDIAANDTHEOVERBERG Thetermruralcommercialmedia,isnotcommonlyusedbymediaresearchersacrossSouth Africa,perhapsfurtherexplainingmyclaimaboutthemarginalisationofthissector. Arenstein(2005)andtheMediaDevelopmentandDiversityAgency(MDDA)(2005) interchangeablyspeakaboutgrassrootsmediaandcommunityprintmedia,ostensiblytoreferto, amongothers,ruralcommercialmedia.Theydonotusethelattertermatall.Ifindtheseterms inappropriatesinceinmyopinion,grassrootsisaradicalandstillcontentiousdevelopmentalterm thatismoreappropriatetoactivism,whilecommunityinthecontextofmediainvolvesaspecific structureoforganisationanddecisionmakingleadingtoidentifiablecommitmentsandobligations toacommunity. OMDMedia,whichproducestheannualSouthAfricanMediaFactsthatprovidespertinent informationonthecommercialmedialandscapeinSouthAfrica,aswellastheSouthAfricanAll MediaandProductsSurvey(AMPS)talkofregionalpapersorcommunitytitles(Koenderman, 2006:9;SAARFAMPS,2007)whichincludesruralcommercialmedia,butnotexclusively. Milne&Taylor(2006),whoproducedtheSouthAfricanreportoftheAfricanMediaDevelopment Initiative,speakaboutlocalweeklynewspaperandregionalweeklynewspaper(2006:40),and I'mnotsurewhereruralcommercialmediawillfitinhere. HadlandandThorne(2004)proceedtograpplewithsomedefinitionsinthereattempttodefine smallmediainSouthAfrica(2004:9),andtheirdiscussioninthisregardisverypertinent. Firstly,theycorrectlydrawadistinctionbetweencommunitymediaandindependentmedia.They describetheformervariouslyaslocallyfocussed,ownedandcontrolledbythecommunity, participatoryinnature,andallowingtheopinionsandpositionsofthemarginalisedtobepresented along,andchallenge,theauthoritativevoiceofthemainstreammedia(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). TheruralcommercialmediawhichIrefertointheOverberg,correctlyfallswithinthissmall mediasector.However,amongstthemediatitlesintheOverbergandwhichIintendtoincludein thescopeofmyresearchareTheHermanusTimes,TheOverbergVenster,andtheCaledon Kontreinuus.ThesetitlesareallownedbyMedia24,amajormediaconglomerateinSouthAfrica. Theywouldbeexcludedfromthedefinitionofindependentmediaandhencealsofromthesmall mediasector,whichiswhyIusethetermruralcommercialmediainordertobeinclusiveofthese titles. In2005,the16newspapertitlesthatwereoperatingintheOverbergregionwere:GansbaaiHerald, GansbaaiCourant,OverstrandHerald,GrabouwHerald,TheewaterskloofTribune,Villiersdorp Herald,LangeburgBulletin,SwellendamGazette,Suidernuus,StanfordRiverTalk,Agulhas Tribune,OverstrandHerald,HermanusTimes,CaledonKontreinuus,TweeOseaneandThe GreytonSentinal. TheGrabouwHerald,TheewaterskloofTribuneandVilliersdorpHerald,havepassedonbutatleast twonewtitlehavesinceemerged,TheObserver,basedinKleinmondandtheOverbergNews,based inBredasdorp.ThereisnolocalorcommunityradiostationintheOverberg. Allthetitlesarecommercialpapers,meaningthattheydependonadvertisingforsurvival.Allof themcontainagooddoseoflocalhardnews,editorial,andletterstotheeditor,andarehardlyjust advertisingsheets.Inthemajorityofinstances,theeditorisalsotheownerandpublisher,while mostofthemoperateonlyasmallofficewithasingleeditorandseveralfreelance correspondents/journalistsscatteredamongstseveraltowns. ExceptfortheOverbergNews,allofthemhaveacoverprice.TheOverbergNewsalongwiththe StanfordRiverTalkandtheGreytonSentinalaretheonlymonthlypapers,otherwisealltherestare regularweeklypublications.AllthepapersenjoyahealthymixofEnglishandAfrikaansbetween theirpages,exceptfortheGansbaaiCourant,whichisexclusivelyAfrikaans.Thereisverylittle,if any,Xhosainanyofthepapers. Hadland&Thorne(2004)foundthattherewere83fullyfunctioningprintmediaorganisationsin thesmallmediasectorinSouthAfrica,twothirdsofwhichwerecommercialforprofitoperations (2004:53).ThiswouldmeanthatthetitlesoperatingintheOverbergrepresentroughly27%ofthe commercialprintsmallmediasectorinSouthAfrica,whichisalargechunkforsuchasmallarea. DISCUSSIONTOWARDSARESEARCHAGENDAFOREXPLORINGTHEROLEOF RURALCOMMERCIALMEDIAINTHEFIGHTAGAINSTHIV/AIDS InmyexperienceofworkinginthefieldintheOverbergIhavefoundthatlocalruralmediaare oftentheonlysourceofnews,informationandexpressionforlocalruralcommunitiesabouttheir communities.Urbanbasedandnationalmediacannotbedependedupontoroutinelyreporton issuesandeventsinruralcommunitiesunlessitissensationalenoughorfitsinwitharunningstory. Inthisinstance,intheOverberg,thelocalmediaisconfinedtonewspapers.Thereisnolocal broadcasterorcommunitymedia.

Thesesmallmediathusenjoyaspeciallocationinruralsocietyand,inthecaseoftheOverberg,is theclosesttocommunitymediasofar,thatthesecommunitieswillget.Ihavemetandinterviewed virtuallyeveryeditorofthesenewspapersoverthepastthreeyears,andhavefoundthatineachcase theywelcomeandroutinelyprintarticlesandcontributionsfromthecommunity. Inthisnarrowsensethenthefactthatthesemediaarecommunicatingdirectlywith,aboutand possiblythroughthelocalcommunitytheycanberegardedascommunitymedia.Buttheyare fundamentallynot.Thethreecommonlyaccepteddefinitiveprinciplesofcommunitymediaare (Hadland&Thorne,2004:15): Communitymediaisowned,managedandprogrammed/filledby thepeopleitserves; Communitymediaarenonprofitandrespondtothecommunity's expressedneedsandpriorities;and Communitymediaareaccountabletocommunitystructures. Thesemediadonotconformtoanyofthesedefinitiveprinciples.Theyaresmallbusinesses,andas suchwouldenjoymuchthesameconstraintsasothermainstreamcommercialmediahavein takingonaprogressiveagendawithrespecttoHIV/AIDS.Abasicassumptionthus,forthetime being,isthatwhenitcomestotheshortfallinthemedia'scoverageofHIV/AIDS,ruralcommercial mediamimictheirurbanmainstreamcounterparts.Giventhattheidealisedroleofthenewsmedia asoutlinedearlierinthisessaywouldapplywholesaletotheseruralcommercialmediaaswell,itis usefultoreflectontheconstraintsthatresearchershaveobservedsofar. Attheoutset,Panos(2004)foundthatamongtheconstraintsthatperhapsexplainedthemedia's poorcoverage,wasthatjournaliststhemselves,aspartofthecommunitiestheyliveinandreport on,havenotcometotermswiththeuniversalimpactofHIV/AIDS(2004:12).Thetendencythus wastotreatHIV/AIDSasajobforotherinterestsgroupssuchasNGOsandthegovernment,hence thetopichardlyfeaturedontheireditorialagendaandtheyrarelyplay[ed]anagendasettingor advocacyrole(Panos,2004:12). ItstandstoreasonthattheperceptionsofjournalistsintheOverbergregionneedtoberesearchedin ordertogaugetheextenttowhichtheyarebothawareofthelocalimpactofHIV/AIDSandthe policyanddevelopmentprioritiesthatexistinthedistrict.Iftheyarenotaware,thentheywillneed basiceducationandawarenessraisingaroundHIV/AIDS.Iftheyareaware,thenperhapsitpointsto amoredeeperprejudice/fearabouttalking/allowingdiscussionaboutHIV/AIDSinthepublic domain. Theprofitmotiveinnouncertaintermsisthebulwarkthatconstantlytripsthemediainits recognitionofanadvocacyrole.Stein(2002)foundoneextremeofastrongadvocacyrole (2002:9);anotherpositionwheremediapractitionerssawtheirroleasneutralbutwithaweak advocacyrole;andofcoursetheotherextremeofnegatinganyotherroleexceptthatofmaking money(Stein,2002:9).Henceinthecaseofthelatter,Themediaareridingtheconsensus,not creatingit,becausethat'showtheymakemoney,(anonymousjournalistquotedinStein,2002:12). Thestrongadvocacyrolehasbeenoutlinedearlierinthisessay,andincludesthecelebratedfourth estateandwatchdogrolesofthemedia.Theweakadvocacyrolehearkenstotheseeminglyneutral educationalorinformativerole,definedas'reportingwhatishappening'(i.e.informationgiving) ratherthanasadirectattempttoinfluenceactionsorthecourseofevents(i.e.agendasetting) (Stein,2002:9).

Whatseemstobealinkedchinkintheprofitmotiveandbottomlinejournalismthatconstrains reportingonHIV/AIDS,istheoccupationalideology(GoldingandElliot:2000)ofnewsvalues (Jacobs&Johnson,2007:13).Soinotherwords,journalistshaveinternalisedthenotionofthe businessofnews,i.e.toonlycreatenewsthatsells,andinchoosingandpublishingparticular newsoverothernews,theyhavelinkedtheimperativeofconformingtonewsvalues[withthe] financialsustainabilityofthecommercialmedia(Finlay,2003:14).OfcourseIamnotentirely convincedofthis,i.e.thattheconsiderationoftextbooknewsvaluesincorporatingelementsof drama,importance,size,proximity,negativityandsoforth(GoldingandElliot,2000:633638) shouldmilitateagainstreportingeffectivelyonHIV/AIDS.Thepointis,thestoryofHIV/AIDShas alltheelementsofgreatandconsistentnewsstoriesandhasinfactbeenlikenedtothestoryofthe latetwentiethcentury(Stein,2001:4). Whatnewsdoruralmediapractitionersbelievesellstheirpapers?Whatarethemainreasonsfor peopleactuallybuyingthesepapers?Whoarebuyingthesepapersandwhodothejournalists believetheyaretalkingto?Thesearequestionstoexploreinadditiontocontentanalysisofthe papers.Thesequestionsmayshedlightontheconventionsofnewsjudgementsandchoicesinrural commercialmedia,whilealsoperhapsdelineatingtheboundariesofcommunityorpublicthatthe paperitselfaimstoserveorindulge.Theadvocacyroleingeneralmaywellbeinformedbythe capacityoflocalactiviststobotharticulatethegovernanceandaccountabilityissuesonHIV/AIDS pertinenttotheirlocality,andtoengagewiththeirlocalmediaaroundthis. Acriticalandpracticalconstraintexperiencedbymediaorganisationsineffectivelyreportingon HIV/AIDSisresources,bothhumanandfinancial(Panos,2004:13;Stein,2002:28).Ihavenodoubt thatruralcommercialmediawouldcomeupagainstthesameconstraint.Ontheonehandmaybe theneedfortraining,bothtograpplewiththecomplexitiesoftheissueaswellasskillsbuildingin effectivelyresearchingandwritingupthestories.Onthehand,itistimeandhumanresource capacitythatisrequiredfordedicatedandconsistentcoverage. HereisacueforAIDSactivistsandmediadevelopmentorganisationsaliketoexplorethetraining andcapacityneedsofruralcommercialmediawithrespecttoHIV/AIDSreporting.However,there isnopointindoingthisunlessthepoliticalwillexistsamongstruralmediapractitionerstoexplore andembraceaprogressivenewsagendainthefirstplace.Thehardfootworkofmediaadvocacy trainingwithinlocalruralcommunitieswillneedtobeacrucialprecursortotakeforwardany attemptstoconvincelocalmediatoadoptaprogressiveagendawithrespecttoHIV/AIDS. Andfinally,AIDSfatiguehasattimesbeencitedbyjournaliststoexplaininconsistentand occasionalcoverage(Jacobs&Johnson,2007:13).Thereasoningisthatreadersandviewersare saturatedwithandturnedoffbyHIV/AIDSandasaresulttheydon'tseethepointofregular coverage(Jacobs&Johnson,2007:13).Berger(2004)providesanimportantcountertothis pointingoutthatitismorelikelythatjournalists(ratherthanthepeople)havefatigue(Berger, 2004:8).InhisaudienceresearchamongstfocusgroupsinSouthAfrica,Finley(2003)observes (2003:21): Therewasstrongevidenceofactiveconsumptionofmedia dealingwith,orreferringtoHIV/AIDS...[aswell as]...equallystrongindicationsofparticipantsseekingout particularmediathatdiscussedorreferredtoissuessuchas loveandsexualityandHIV/AIDS.Theseincludedbuying specificnewspapersonspecificdaysfortheirhealth

supplementsandtuningintospecificradiostationsandTV programmesatparticulartimes. Conclusion InsketchingaresearchagendainthisessayIaimprimarilytobringruralcommercialmediamore intothefoldofthedebateontheroleofthemediainaddressingHIV/AIDS.Inthecontextofthe Overberg,wherenotruecommunitymediaexistsinanyform,theirimportanceandthemuch neededrolearoundHIV/AIDSreportingcannotbeoverstated.Atthisstageitremainspresumptuous toassumethatruralcommercialmediawillmimicmainstreammediaintheallthequantitativeand qualitativefindingsaroundthereportingonHIV/AIDSanditremainsinstructivetoobservehow exactlytheymaydiffer. REFERENCES 1. Arenstein,J.2005.BetweentheBorgandtheBigBang.RhodesJournalismReview25 (November2005),pp4950. 2. Berger,G.2000.GraveNewWorld?DemocraticJournalismEnterstheGlobalTwentyfirst Century.JournalismStudies,1(1):8199. 3. Berger,G.2004.Media&AIDS:Howwecandobetter.PaperdeliveredatAsiaMediaSummit, KualaLumpur,April2004.Availableatguyberger.ru.ac.za/fulltext/aidsmediaasia.docAccessed August2008. 4. Croteau,D.&Hoynes,W.2000.MediaSocietyIndustries,Images,andAudiences. California:PineForgePress. 5. DepartmentofHealth.2006.NationalHIVandSyphilisAntenatalSeroprevalenceSurveyin SouthAfrica2006.Pretoria:DepartmentofHealth. 6. DeWet,G.2004.AgendasettingandHIV/AIDSnewssources,implicationsforjournalism education:anexploratorystudy.EcquidNovi25(1):94114. 7. Finlay,A.2003.Panos/JHUHCPHealthMediaAudits,CountryReport:SouthAfrica. Availableatwww.openresearch.co.za 8. GenderLinks&MediaInstituteofSouthernAfrica(MISA).2006.HIVandAIDSandGender BaselineStudy.Johannesburg:GenderLinks. 9. Golding,P.,andElliot,P.2002.Newsvaluesandnewsproduction.InMarrisandThornham (Eds),MediaStudies:AReader.(pp632644)NewYork:NewYorkUniversityPress. 10. Groenewald,P.,Bradshaw,D.,VanNiekerk,M.,Jefferies,D.,andVanDerMerwe,W.2007. ReportonCauseofDeathandPrematureMortalityintheBolandOverbergRegion20042005. CapeTown:SouthAfricanMedicalResearchCouncil. 11. Hadland,A.,&Thorne,K.2004.ThePeople'sVoice:Thedevelopmentandcurrentstateofthe SouthAfricansmallmediasector.CapeTown:HSRCPublishers. 12. Jacobs,S.,&Johnson,K.2007.Media,socialmovementsandthestate:competingimagesof HIV/AIDSinSouthAfrica.AfricanStudiesQuarterly9(4):1to28.Availableat web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v9/v9i4a8.htm.AccessedAugust2008. 13. Koenderman,T.(ed).2006.SouthAfricanMediaFacts.Johannesburg:OMD&AdReview. 14. MediaDevelopmentandDiversityAgencyMDDA.2005. Print,Distribution,Circulation andMarketingoftheGrassrootsPressinSouthAfrica.Johannesburg:MDDA. 15. MISA(MediaInstituteofSouthernAfrica).2007.SoThisisDemocracyStateoftheMediain SouthernAfrica2006.Windhoek:MISA. 16. Milne,C.&Taylor,A.2006. AfricanMediaDevelopmentInitiativeSouthAfricaReport.

London:BBCWorldServiceTrust. 17. ODMOverbergDistrictMunicipality.2008.RevisedIntegratedDevelopmentPlanforthe CouncilCycle20082009.Bredasdorp:ODM. 18. PanosInstituteofSouthernAfrica.2004.LessonsforTodayandTomorrow:AnAnalysisof HIV/AIDSReportinginSouthernAfrica.Lusaka:Panos. 19. Peterson,M.A.2001.GettingtotheStory:UnwriteableDiscourseandInterpretativePracticein AmericanJournalism.InAnthropologicalQuarterlyno.74:pp201211. 20. SAARFAMPS.2007.SouthAfricanAdvertisingResearchFoundation'sAllMediaand ProductsSurvey.Downloadedfromwww.saarf.co.za.Accessed:August2008. 21. Stein,J.2001.HIV/AIDSandtheMedia:Aliteraturereview.Johannesburg:CADRE. 22. Stein,J.2002.What'sNews:PerspectivesonHIV/AIDSintheSouthAfricanMedia. Johannesburg:CADRE. 23. Swanepoel,P.2005.StemmingtheHIV/AIDSepidemicinSouthAfrica:areourHIV/AIDS campaignsfailingus?Communicatio31(1):6193 24. Wasserman,H,&DeBeer,A.2004.CoveringHIV/AIDS:towardsaheuristiccomparison betweencommunitarianandutilitarianethics.Communicatio30(2):8497. 25. WesternCapeProvincialGovernment.2007.SocioEconomicProfile:OverbergDistrict2007. CapeTown:WesternCapeProvincialTreasury.