The aim of the study is to investigate the presentation of diverse sources of news in Lesotho Television (LTV) news bulletins. 54 Figure 3: Time allocated to the sources of news per day of the week 54 Figure 4: Average proportion of time per actor within the period under review 55. The chapter also provides a brief overview of the different historical perspectives of media in Lesotho.
Background of Study
The station also gained popularity after the banning of the alternative newspapers that opposed the government (Tau, 2001). The establishment of the television station in 1988 was also prompted by the Pope's visit to the country (interview, Makintane, September 2004). The ruling party (BCP) split at the time to form the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) under the leadership of the late Dr.
Literature Review
34;significant role of the media in the development and consolidation of democratic government in [Lesotho], there has been relatively little about their democratic significance" (Tettey, 2001: 5). The chapter reviewed the literature on media in Lesotho, and on the concept of the role of the media in nation building The importance of the study was also outlined based on the role of the Lesotho media and the country's transition to democracy.
Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
The role of media in democracy
The whole essence of the public sphere is to promote open lines of communication between the citizens and all interest groups. The public sphere developed in the 17th century coffee houses, salons, table societies and literary societies of France, Germany and England. The proliferation of media led to the demise of the public sphere, as the state began to control the content of the media through regulation.
Public Service Broadcasting Theory
Public service broadcasting as an idea is, however, rooted in the enlightened view of the public and public space, where social and political life unfolds democratically (Raboy, 1995: 6). A wide variety of programs should be broadcast to meet the diverse needs of the public. The medium is the sole property of the community, and should therefore not be privately owned.
Theories of news selection
News becomes a product of the practical conditions and limitations of the process by which it is created. They state that for a piece of news to qualify or pass through the gates, it must meet one of the characteristics of news values. Bad news generally also has many of the characteristics - it can be unexpected, unambiguous, etc.
Theory of sources
Berkowitz (1987) states that the larger organizations may not provide better information, but simply have more ability to provide a consistent flow of information than the smaller organizations with fewer staff. The ability to provide appropriate information: 'The ability to be newsworthy requires resources and skills, many of which go hand in hand with economic power, and which are possessed only by a few' (Gans. Gans argues that organizations are normally accessible as sources of news, as they can afford the equivalent of investigative journalism.
However, Gans argues "that prosperous organizations have an advantage in the competition to gain access to journalists because they can schedule their activities in advance to satisfy the news organizations' ongoing need for anticipated stories". Sources become eager to give information either because they benefit from the publicity the news media provides or because they need the news media to perform their duties. Sources that have provided incorrect or useless information in the past may be deliberately overlooked.
Reputation and power of sources - The recruitment of sources and access to journalists reflect the hierarchies of nation and society. Geographic and social proximity to the journalists - “Sources may be eager, powerful and ready to provide appropriate information, but to gain access and overcome the isolation within which story selectors normally function, they must be geographically and socially close to the journalists” (Gans. He argues that powerful sources, most of whom are upper-middle class, usually make the news because they know how to make contact.
People of lower social status fear rejection and most do not know how to deal with journalists (Gans.
Suitability: Source considerations
Research Methodology Introduction
The use of triangulation methods in this case is "contrasting data collected using different methods" (Gray, that is, content analysis of the recorded news bulletins and the interviews with editors and journalists at LTV, as well as with other media practitioners.) Also is Documented material was used to strengthen the objectivity of the results. National news forms the basis of the research because national news plays by far the largest role in the news broadcast.
The majority of the research was conducted through quantitative content analysis of LTV news bulletins. Content analysis of the news bulletins in prime time provides a concrete basis for analyzing and discussing the representation of sources for both the. The content analysis method is not without limitations either; the results of a particular content analysis are limited to the framework of the categories and definitions used in that analysis.
The positions of the sources and the organizations they are from were analyzed. 34;take into account the characteristics of the media product and often prejudge the potential significance of their findings in the context of what they reveal about production ideologies' (Gunter, 2000: 81). Thus, the researcher used interpretive/descriptive content analysis to interpret the research findings.
To validate the results of the interpreted data, documented material as well as interviews were conducted to establish whether the criteria used for the selection of news at LTV are based on PSB principles or on organizational requirements.
Data Analysis, Findings and Discussion
An extreme result of the allocation of time to the known was revealed in Bulletin 8. Of the total thirteen bulletins, nine bulletins (69%) contained no national stories, while four bulletins (31%) contained national stories. Of the total of stories from the rural areas, one is dominated by the well-known sources in the field of law and state affairs (bulletin 9).
There are no news sources that can be classified as unknown in the last group of elders. The news is organized around the views of the famous, most of whom are middle-aged men. In response to the question of how news was selected during the military government, one of the journalistsI.
The stories of the government organizations portray the officials who inform the public about government policies. The community members interviewed complained about the scarcity of water in both rural and urban areas. NOOs have repeatedly complained about the bias in reporting on their activities.
Language plays a major role in the social process of building the individual's subjectivity. This trend can be attributed to the concentration of institutions and/or media houses in the capital Maseru (see Annex 7). From the collected data I found a tendency of journalists following popular news sources in their activities throughout the country.
Conclusion
This becomes quite exclusive as most of the voiceless in Lesotho are without a profession. This was evidenced by the number of known sources (most of whom are professionals) while unknown ones (most non-professionals) were left out of the mainstream media. This was evidenced in a number of stories where certain journalists did not interpret the implications of government policies, but instead relied on statements from well-known sources.
One of the ideals of objectivity is that the reporter does not make claims to her personal observation, but instead attributes it to sources. This led to the exclusion of other voices in society, especially those of the minority (women, youth and the elderly) and the unknown. This demand is in line with one of the fundamental principles of democracy which promotes freedom of expression and representation.
The Director of the Information Department at the Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology, Mr. Admittedly, most popular sources are government officials, so the station is used to publicize government policies. However, it is expected that the greatest media freedom in Lesotho lies perhaps in the Access and Retrieval of Information Bill 2000, which is expected to give media practitioners the right to freedom of expression and access to information not disclosed at the time of writing of study. .
The claim is that diversity of opinion would lead to unity in a country since independence in 1966 has endured a series of civil unrest trials in its political arena that resulted in coups provoked by the use of the armed forces (Gumbi, 1995) .
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Are there particular aspects of the news selection process that lead to some kinds of news stories being chosen over others (story topics, news values). Are there plans in the pipeline to improve the transmission network to ensure universal access to LTV. Do you experience any form of interference from management during your work.
