PART 1 Chapter 3 THE READER, THE KING
3.4 CONCLUSION
creates a platform for the readers to voice their opinions and participate in the communication process (see sections 2.3.2.2 and 2.3.3.3).
3.3.2.3 The application of a moralising tone as a communication approach in the Son
As the literature review has demonstrated, tabloids tend to employ a moralising tone and unlike more mainstream newspapers, they choose sides on behalf of their readers – they do not give them information and let them decide. In this way, the newspaper sets the boundaries for acceptable behaviour (see Wasserman, 2011; Johansson, 2007:114, 115; Bird, 2003a:73). The story MA LEWER LAAITIE UIT ‘WAT LEM’: Vrou doen regte ding al breek hart (Prinsloo, 2010b:1;
Prinsloo, 2010c:5) about a woman who took her son to the police station after he confessed to her that he had committed a gang-related murder illustrates this. In the headline, as shown in illustration 3.14 (see addendum B), the paper already decides that the mother has done the “right”
thing (illustration 3.14: Son’s use of a moralising approach [Monday, 16 August 2010]).
The journalist writes: “‘Ek het saam met die boere charge offce toe gery en daar vir Dylantjie ’n moerse pak slae gegee. Inspector Moses het nog afgekeer en gesê ek moenie die kind so slaan nie.’ Jack het ook seker gemaak die kind maak ’n bekentenis van wat gebeur het. Sy sê huilend maar trots: ‘Niemand moet ooit sê Sera bedek nie haar kind se dinge nie Ek leef in die oopte. En selfs my eie kind se dinge moet geopenbaar word.’”121 Readers had the opportunity to put themselves in this mother’s shoes and to imagine what they would have done had they been in the same situation. By presenting this woman’s actions as the “right” and
“moral” thing to do, the newspaper probably encouraged other readers to do the same in an attempt to rid the community of crime. This is in accordance with what the literature suggests regarding tabloids and their moralising role (see Bird, 2003b:34). It therefore sets the boundaries in terms of not only acceptable behaviour, but also praiseworthy actions. A similar story followed the next day: KID GELEM ‘VIR RANG IN BENDE’: Oupa sê slagoffer se lyf is sonder tjappies122 (Prinsloo, 2011b:1, 2).
suggests that the Son creates an alternative public sphere, as the literature suggests a quality tabloid newspaper should do. The paper not only, as the literature suggests, creates a platform for readers to discuss relevant issues; it also provides them with relevant and useful information in an alternative format, which is engaging, interesting and easy to digest. The contents of the tabloid appear to resemble the world in which its audience lives. With its strong focus on local issues that concern the community, the Son can be more aptly described as a local newspaper that serves the needs of its community.
Although Lauterer (2006:1) argues that community newspapers are publications with a circulation under 50 000 that are aimed at a community who lives in a particular geographical area, he admits that more liberal defnitions of “community journalism” hold that community newspapers can serve communities of place, as well as ethnicity, faith, ideas or interest. Furthermore, Lauterer (2006:27) holds that the term “community” implies that the members of that community share certain things, such as a frame of reference and common knowledge about infrastructure, people and systems. Thus, although the Son’s circulation fgures are staggering in relation to the 50 000 mentioned by Lauterer, the newspaper not only serves an audience that lives in a particular geographical area; the majority of readers are also of the same ethnicity, speak the same language, and share the same lives.
Lauterer (2006:42) holds that community newspapers are local, and usually a community’s primary source of in-depth community news. In addition, these newspapers are accessible and readers can easily contact the newspaper, share stories or give comment. This, he states, is one of the great strengths of a community newspaper. Furthermore, these newspapers lead and guide their communities. The Son not only adheres to all of these criteria, but it also excels at serving its community and therefore Lauterer’s other criteria (that community newspapers must be small and are readers’ second read) are rejected. That might be true for American community newspapers, but in South Africa a newspaper with a circulation of 50 000 is considered large.
According to Stamm (1985:37, 38), community newspapers impact on the community in various ways. He argues that community newspapers have the potential to promote citizenship, participation and involvement in community processes. Furthermore, community newspapers can promote identifcation, in other words make individuals feel part of a community structure.
Community media also motivate people to interact with other members, acknowledge individuals and give them a sense of usefulness and importance. The analysis in this chapter suggests that the Son succeeds in serving its audience in these ways.
The news reports in this tabloid all paint a picture of a reality far removed from that of the mainstream media audience. The frst 12 pages of the newspaper are devoted to news stories and, from these pages, it is evident that drugs, rape, murder, tragic accidents and fraud constitute the world in which these readers live. As stated before, tabloid newspapers in general focus on crime, sex and scandals, celebrities, sport and science (or the supernatural). A content analysis of the Son indicates that this tabloid focuses on crime, local news and positive stories. The tabloid succeeds in encouraging its readers to participate in the fght against rape, gangs, the drug Tik and parental neglect by inviting them to send news tips and information that might lead to the arrest of criminals. The paper becomes a crusader that does not stand on the sideline to comment on events only, but is actively involved in creating a better community.
The paper also gives readers their frst and only opportunity to voice their concerns and thereby demonstrates to its readers that it cares about them, that they are important. The paper’s content is evidently aimed at the community, yet the paper publishes adequate reports on political and international news. This suggests that the Son, despite its strong community focus, does not aim to isolate its audience from the rest of the country or the world. The paper focuses on news reports, snippets and letter columns. Other genres such as editorial comment (except for the editor’s letter on a Friday), in-depth articles and interviews are absent from this paper. This supports the argument that information is presented in an accessible, engaging, simple and clear style.
This content analysis demonstrates that whereas the international tabloids have a strong focus on sex, science and royalty, the Son emphasises issues that are important to its readers, e.g. local stories and crime. It could be classifed as a news tabloid. What is perhaps the most evident from this analysis is that the Son has a strong focus on local news about its community – whether this is news about criminal activities, wrongdoings, politics or even positive news, such as communities uniting to fght for a better environment. The newspaper thus mainly focuses on the tabloid feature crime regarding tabloid content and news criteria, while sex and celebrities are given less attention but are still included in the newspaper. Positive community news is another strong focus of the Son, as well as ways in which to create platforms for readers to voice their concerns, issues and dispense advice. Proximity is important to the newspaper and it focuses on stories that are close to its readers in terms of time, place and socio-psychological relations. The impression is given that the new version of the Son in particular regards positive news, the reader and his/her participation, and community news as the main focuses.
The content analysis therefore suggests that the Son functions as both a tabloid newspaper and a community newspaper. This has implications for this study, for this suggests that the paper functions as both a tabloid and a community newspaper. This means that the readers may perceive and view the newspaper not just as a tabloid, but also as a paper that should, in their opinion, serve its local community to the extent that a community newspaper should do.
In light of the above analysis and discussion, the second theoretical statement is formulated to guide this study of Son readers and their newspaper (see section 1.4):
MTS2: A tabloid can also serve as a community newspaper and vice versa. A community paper should serve its community by providing local news that is relevant to them and their daily lives.
Moreover, a community paper should be approachable and serve its community by catering to their interests and paying attention to their concerns. A quality community news tabloid should therefore aim to refect the lives of its readers by providing local, relevant and engaging content.
Chapter 3 is the last chapter in part 1 of this study. The aim of part 1 was to provide a context and background for the audience reception study, which will be discussed in the second part of this study. Part 1 (chapters 1, 2 and 3) focused on the history, development and current main features of tabloid newspapers, as well as on the content the Son provided to its readers when the reception study was conducted. This was done in order to establish the manner in which this newspaper approaches its readers, the content it offers them and the manner in which it presents this information to them. This information was used in order to inform and prepare the researcher for the empirical audience study reported on in part 2 of this study. The next chapter, the frst of four chapters in part 2, will provide a detailed discussion of the history and development of media audience research, audience research relevant to this study, and a discussion of the theoretical approach adopted for the qualitative audience research part of this study.
PART 2 Chapter 4