The political role of the media in the democratisation of Malawi : the case of the Weekend Nation from 2002 to 2012

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This study investigated the political role of the Weekend Nation newspaper in the democratisation ofMalawi between 2002 and 2012 within the context of its foundational and ownership structures by apolitician. Bearing in mind that the newspaper was founded by a politician belonging to the firstdemocratically elected ruling party, the United Democratic Front (UDF), this research sought toexamine the impact of media ownership on the political role of the Weekend Nation's journalisticpractices in Malawi's democratisation. Between 2002 and 2012, Malawi was governed by threepresidents – Bakili Muluzi of the UDF from 1994 to 2004, Bingu wa Mutharika of the DemocraticProgressive Party (DPP) from 2004 to 2012, and Joyce Banda of the People's Party (PP) from 2012to 2014 – all of whom were hostile to the Weekend Nation.Taking into cognisance the ownership of the Weekend Nation by a politician, the critical politicaleconomy theory of the media was deemed to be the most appropriate theoretical framework for thisstudy. In media research, the critical political economy theory asserts that owners are able to regulatethe output of the media institution either by intervening in the day-to-day operations, or byestablishing general goals and understandings and appointing managerial and editorial staff toimplement them within the constraints set by the overall allocation of resources. The study employeda qualitative research methodology, in particular in-depth interviews and qualitative content analysis.Research findings indicate that overall, the political ownership of the newspaper had no direct bearingon the journalists' political role in the enhancement of democracy and good governance in Malawi.It established that despite the ownership of the Weekend Nation belonging to a prominent andinfluential politician, the editorial independence was not compromised. Contrary to generalexpectations, this study established that the Weekend Nation in Malawi, was critical to the politicalelite in an indiscriminate manner.Although it was not the focus of this study, the research also showed that market forces, in line withthe stance taken by the critical political economy theory, had some impact on the Weekend Nation'seditorial independence. The quest for more advertising revenue, to an extent, undermined the strugglefor complete editorial independence.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University