What is the relevance of political reporting to the lives of people who feel far removed from politics? How can political reporting include the voices of those who are marginalised and on the outskirts of society, while competing with the sensational gossip of tabloids? Talking to people is a good place to start. Inspired by a recent conference on the rights and regulation of Africa’s media, Jackie Bischof writes for journalism.co.za on the relevance and worth of political reporting for South Africa’s marginalised. Speaking at a recent conference at Wits University on the rights and regulation of Africa’s media, Professor Tawana Kupe, Dean of Humanities at the university, discussed some of the characteristics of the media in Africa that were causing it to miss the mark in terms of its democratic role on the continent. Political and financial pressures, a lack of professionalism, a small, elite readership base and the overuse of news wires were some of the problems that had prevented media houses from emerging as powerful democratic forces in some countries.

In some respects the most worrying aspect of coverage – aside from the impact of political repression and censorship, which are major barriers – is a tendency for outlets to focus on news stemming from urban areas, generally involving a small powerful elite. This type of coverage invariably skews the way in which a society is represented in its media.

Speaking on a panel titled “Transformation and democratisation of the media,” Kupe described the role of the so-called ‘Fourth Estate’: “To inform citizens of their rights so that they can exercise them,” with a duty “towards citizens and not powerful political, economic, social and cultural interests.” The media should “challenge citizen’s prejudices, reinforcing progressive democratic values.”

But the reality is that “the media is a useful and escapist outlet for the elite whose small numbers can’t out-vote [entrenched power]. The media that reaches most people is the state broadcaster,” which often carries propaganda and denies the opposition a voice while simultaneously vilifying them. In a lot of media environments, “there is no developed community base.”

In spaces where there are no strong opposition parties who can voice criticism of the government, and where the government is so insecure in its position that it seeks to stifle debate and criticism, the media tends to become the unofficial opposition. This role can become so encompassing that the political reporting focuses on the missteps of government and the political of personality rather than the impact of government on ordinary citizens.

“As result, the media do not constitute a genuine public sphere – the autonomous space between the state and the market – for citizens,” said Kupe.

One organisation that has tried to tackle issues of limited coverage has been global news agency, Inter Press Service, whose director of the African region, Paula Fray, appeared on the same panel.

IPS endeavours to hire journalists that are from the country they are covering, and tries to ensure coverage is on a diverse range of topics and features a diverse range of voices.

Fray acknowledged the numerous financial, social and infrastructural challenges facing journalists in Africa. She said that “journalists on the continent don’t see how critical their role is,” and that a focus on finding stories that would attract as many eyeballs as possible invariably leads to a focus away from the somewhat technical and at times tedious work of covering the nuts and bolts of politics.

“How does the media encourage and facilitate debate?” asked Fray. “How do we use new media tools to encourage interactive discussion… to get citizens politically engaged …  [to cover] budget issues, policy issues, [to provide] access to information that allows them to make informed input in decisions?” she asked.

One of the things that journalists tend not to do is to quite simple. They don’t speak to people who are affected by politics; those who experience the trickle down effects of political and economic decisions. Speaking to people as opposed to getting insight from an expert in an office will entice “empathy with the reader, an emotional connection,” said Fray. Journalists need to “use citizen’s voices respectfully and in an interesting way instead of just using them as colour. When we do this we will find stories that connect across classes, genders and so on.”

“The media can’t tell people what to think, but it can provide a framework of what people should think about,” said Fray. “The biggest challenge is getting reporters to move away from reporting that favours the elite, to looking for voices of ordinary people.”

An example in motion –

For political researcher and advocacy coordinator of the national working group of the R2K campaign Sithembile Mbete, coverage of the Makahaza toilet scandal in 2010 was an example of how political reporting can focus on “petty party politicking” instead of a “substantive discussion of issues affecting people’s lives”.

“The situation was originally brought to the attention of the media after the ANCYL brought a complaint to the Human Rights Commission,” said Mbete. “It was hoped that the media attention would put the spotlight on the poor state of sanitation services in informal settlements and the danger it posed to residents of communities like Makhaza. For many people the basic act of going to the toilet is the most dangerous moment of their day as they risk being attacked on the way and face grave health risks from using ablution facilities often overflowing with raw sewerage.

“Instead of reporting the Makhaza toilet issue as one of service delivery and government accountability, the media instead chose to focus on the political battle that ensued between the DA and the ANCYL. By focussing on the statements of well-known political figures the media reduced a governance issue into petty politics and ignored the more important story about the quality of life of ordinary South Africans.”

One media outlet got it right, says Mbete. The Cape Times ran an article on sanitation in the RR section of Khayelitsha, which vividly described the daily dangers faced by residents trying to perform tasks that millions of South Africans take for granted – washing their clothes, cleaning their faces, going to the toilet.

“What works in this article is that it gives importance to the perspective of residents of that area without treating their experiences as just colour or background noise,” she said. “It also focuses on the issues without getting bogged down in the politics of which party is to blame. It gives a voice to those whose stories aren’t always told. I think it succeeds as political reporting because instead of focusing on the party politics that most people are tired of, it focuses on an actual issue that we would all be empathetic to- going to the toilet is a basic human function after all.”

Getting it right

The trick with political reporting is to balance dry and factual information with an effective explanation of why it should matter to people. This gap – between policy and the people– can be bridged, as Fray suggests, by using real-life examples that show the effect of political decisions.

But more than that, it’s about the media industry moving beyond complaints of lack of resources, time and interest on the part of advertisers and readers, to writing more stories on those on the outskirts of media attention. It’s about moving away from sensationalism and petty gossip to a more meaningful exploration of what powerful people’s choices are doing to other people’s lives – both positive and negative. This is what truly drives politics in the long-term and is the hallmark of quality and relevant media coverage.

ELEVEN ELEMENTS OF GOOD POLITICAL REPORTING FROM THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION

1.       It frames the story in ways that help people relate to the news and participate in democracy.

2.       It explains the background and context.

3.       It shows “Why the audience should care.”

4.       It highlights the effect of politics and political action on people.

5.       The lede cuts to the chase.

6.       It includes BASIC info – it doesn’t assume everyone understands the jargon.

7.       It uses all the good reporting techniques: Thoroughness. Details. Accuracy. Strong sources.

8.       It uses many different storytelling techniques: Hard-news style. Anecdotes.

9.       Human examples. Good quotes/soundbites.

10.       It helps people make informed decisions.

11.   It illuminates the democratic and political process.

The Social Justice Coalition works on sanitation and safety and security issues in Khayelitsha. Read more.

Read some examples of stellar political reporting from the U.S. and more tips from the Knight Foundation, based in Syracuse University in New York.

Direct link of article: http://journalism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&Itemid=51&catid=92&id=3968&view=article

The fifth annual Taco Kuiper Award for investigative journalism – the country’s richest journalism prize – is now open for entries.

The award celebrates outstanding examples of investigative journalism published or broadcast by South African media during the previous calendar year.

The 2009 award went to Rob Rose of Financial Mail/Sunday Times for “South Africa’s Madoff”, a series of articles on South Africa’s biggest corporate swindle. Second prize was Carte Blanche for “Chicken Run”. Previous years’
winners include the Daily Dispatch, Beeld/Burger and Mail & Guardian.

Taco Kuiper was a South African publisher who left a significant part of his estate to be used for the promotion of investigative journalism. His Valley Trust has partnered with Wits Journalism to organise the award and distribute grants to promote investigative journalism.

The award is open to print or broadcast journalists or teams of journalists who can enter a single story or a series of related stories dealing with events and issues affecting South Africa, published or broadcast during 2010. The winner will receive a whopping R200 000 cash prize and the runner-up R100 000.

Nominations should be made by editors or through the Taco Kuiper nominators; guidelines and an application form are available at www.journalism.co.za/tacokuiper

Deadline for entries is Friday 25 February 2011 at 2pm with the Award ceremony taking place on 15 April 2011.

For more information contact the Awards co-ordinator, Brigitte Read, at Brigitte.Read@wits.ac.za

In addition to these prizes, Taco Kuiper Grants are available to encourage investigative journalism in South African print media. More information is available at www.journalism.co.za/tacokuiper.

Ruth First Fellowship – call for applications
Ruth First was a journalist, activist and intellectual killed in exile by the apartheid government. To commemorate her contribution to critical, independent, socially–engaged writing, the Ruth First Fellowship Committee and Wits Journalism has established
a 3–6 month fellowship.

The fellowship is intended to allow a journalist, writer, academic researcher or photographer to pursue an in–depth project of original research to be published in any medium. It should be groundbreaking and in keeping with the tradition of Ruth
First’s politically and socially relevant journalism.

For 2011 candidates are asked to propose a subject which addresses a theme of current interest in South Africa and which would have engaged Ruth First. Job creation, climate change,
local government or corruption are all possible fields, but other subjects may also be appropriate. Guidelines are available at www.journalism.co.za/ruth-first-fellowship. Fellows will receive a monthly stipend and research costs. They must be resident
in South Africa. They will be expected to present their work at the annual Ruth First Memorial Lecture in August and to submit it for publication/broadcast in an appropriate outlet.

Applicants should submit their CV and a project proposal (of no more than two pages) by 4 March 2011 to the Ruth First Fellowship Committee, by email at ruthfirstlecture@gmail.com or fax 011 717 4694.

Are you making New Year’s resolutions?
Here are a few to consider if you want to give your career a boost in 2011.

1. Update my contact book: Whether it’s an electronic file or a reliable hardcover, make sure your contacts are updated. Use New Year greetings to reconnect with old sources or connect with new. Delete old numbers; add new ones and make sure you have all the useful detail you need. Search engines are a great resource for contact details but do you have all the essential ones you need if – heaven forbid! – you had no internet access?
2. Update my diary: Review your stories from 2010 to update the essential dates on your diary for story ideas. Use technology to set reminders so that big days in your specialist beat don’t catch you unprepared.
3. Review the Press Code of Professional Conduct: When last did you review your sector’s press code? You can find the South African print media press code here and the broadcasting code here.
4. Review my organisation’s style guide: Does your organization have a style guide? Use the slow start to the year to ensure you know the basic guidelines on your style and update yourself on any 2010 changes … the sub-editors will thank you for that.
5. Start collecting story ideas: Resolve to be an ideas reporter not an assigned reporter. What issues are people talking about? What stories were you not able to tell last year? Whether you use an electronic file or a good old-fashioned filing system, get into the habit of collecting story ideas for slow news days.
6. Make a list of stories to follow-up in 2011: What stories were covered in 2010? Are there untold elements? What promises were made which should be followed up? Which stories should be revisited?
7. Show, don’t tell: It’s an old adage but good reporters tell their stories with detail and through the voices of other people. Take your readers, listeners and viewers to the story…
8. Do a spellcheck: Reviewing your story represents one step in professional self-editing. A spellcheck is a great way to make initiate a final review … make sure its UK and not US spelling.
9. Identify my own strengths and weaknesses: Good writers and reporters know their own strengths and weaknesses. Use your strengths wisely to the benefit of your work and take action to eliminate your reporting and writing weaknesses.
10. Update and refresh my skills: You don’t need to go to a training course… find resources on the Internet, invite an expert to give a lunchtime talk in your newsroom, ask the reporter you most admire how they found their last story. Opportunities for learning are all around you. Check out www.poynter.org for some good advice. You can download the Narrative Writing Journals from www.frayintermedia.com
11. Read: good writers are good readers.