ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some of the debates around the role of the news media in South Africa. Globally, the role of the news media is debated, and in an ever-evolving media industry it is heavily influenced by technological developments. Alongside global debates around the role of the news media amidst competition from social media and declining readership and faltering business models, debates in post-apartheid South Africa have foregrounded ideas of racial and gender equity in the newsroom as well as in the content of the news media. More recently, and emanating specifically from centres in the global South, these debates and concerns have shifted to focus on transformation that addresses colonial histories and legacies that shape the news media and the role that it should play in a changing political landscape. With regard to the South African context, and amidst global shifts and technological changes, the news media has not changed much in terms of the role it assigns itself, and debates in and around the news media continue to be contested. This chapter situates the South African news media in the postcolonial discourse and outlines some of the contestations around social transformation, equity the political functions of the news media and journalism in contemporary society and in deepening democracy and democratic deliberation.
