Media coverage of the April 2015 xenophobic violence in South Africa : a case study of the Sunday TImes online

Abstract

News media play an important role in not only informing the public, but also in shaping public opinion. Whether unconsciously, or consciously, the media frame and set the agenda of news. In doing so, public opinion is also shaped and framed. It is imperative then that news is presented in a fair, unbiased and responsible manner. Media representation, or rather, media coverage of events, people, and issues (and so on) should be examined and analysed by media scholars, governing bodies and civil society at large. This study aimed to critically analyse online media coverage of the April 2015 xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Specifically, the focus was on the Sunday Times E-edition and its counterpart TimesLive. The April 2015 xenophobic attacks resulted in extensive media coverage and prompted global discourse. The study employed a qualitative research methodological approach through a content analysis of the selected articles during. Articles were coded and emergent themes were then grouped and analysed. The findings revealed that although the media under analysis reported on the event in a fair manner, priority was given to news items focusing on violent xenophobic attacks rather than other related news stories (like, for example protest marches). The findings also revealed that the media tended to revert to stereotyped representations of the black foreign national when covering the April 2015 xenophobic attacks.