opportunities and challenges of alternative media - Zimbabwe case study

1. Electronic Publishing
Opportunities and Challenges of Alternative Media in the
Zimbabwean context.
Presenters
Samantha T. Majoni
and
Sithokozile Sibanda

2. Contents
 Introduction
 Defining Alternative Media
 Theories that can be used to inform Alternative Media
 Characteristics of Ideal Alternative Media
 Examples of Alternative Media
 Alternative Media in Zimbabwe
 Opportunities of Alternative Media in the Zimbabwean context
 Challenges of Alternative Media in the Zimbabwean context
 Conclusion

3. Introduction
Alternative media
 A threat as well as an opportunity to the concept of an ideal alternative media.
Include people who are normally excluded from the mainstream media.
Abolishes the distinction between a consumer and a producer

4. Defining Alternative Media
 Media produced outside mainstream media.
 The unspoken said
 Fetishisation of amateurism Comedia (1984)
 Critical media that questions dominative society
 Intellectual means of struggle
 Agents of societal and media democratization

5. Theories that can be used to inform AM
 Democratic Participant Media Theory
Other theories that can also be used to inform alternative media are:
 Libertarian Free Press Theory
 Social Responsibility Theory
 The Birmingham scholars

6. Characteristics of Ideal Alternative Media
 Non-commercial
 Critical content
 Critical consumers
 Critical Producers Sandoval (2009)
 According to Downing (2001) Alternative media projects are short lived, short life
cycles, they appear and disappear.

7. Examples of Alternative Media
 Community media;
 Tabloids
 Civic media;
 Private media;
 Online media & New technological tools etc

8. Alternative Media in Zimbabwe
 The Daily News
 Southern Eye
 H-Metro
 B-Metro
 Umthunywa
 Kwaedza
 Radio Dialogue
 Studio 7
 First T.V (Violet Gonda & Temba Hove)
 Alternative online media
 Among others

9. Opportunities of Alternative Media in the Zimbabwean context
 Gives ordinary people a voice (heterogeneous one)
 Provides detailed analysis of topics neglected by mainstream media
 Expresses an alternative vision to hegemonic politics, priorities and
perspectives
 Advocate for change in society
 Multiplicity of ideas online
 Online media has reduced the power of gatekeepers, with the internet, gates
have been opened

10. Opportunities cont
 There is no need for the accreditation of journalists as foreign journalists who
have been banned from practicing can now use the internet for journalistic
purposes.

11. Challenges of Alternative Media in the Zimbabwean context
 Public attention is needed in raising awareness and mobilizing people for
social struggles
 In Zimbabwe the media is controlled by the government
 Media laws apply to both public and private media
 More entertaining than informative or educative
 Language barrier
 Lack of freedom of speech and freedom of expression
 Absence of an expressive political citizenry

12. Challenges
 Absence of professionals where anyone can become a journalist
 Lack of expertise
 Rural reporting is still at its infancy
 Audiences cannot do without traditional media
 Private media formed by very angry people who have been victimized by
the state Moyo (2013)

13. Conclusion
Alternative media ought to be self-organized, citizen-controlled, self-managed,
self-owned, non-commercial, non-advertising media. even though it is taboo to
discuss certain issues in the Zimbabwean politics, alternative media has helped
create a forum for intellectualization, conceptualization and discussion of these
without fear of legal or extralegal ramifications.
The End
Thank You