Civil society coalitions as pathways to PSB reform in Southern Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-158
Author(s):  
Winston Mano ◽  
Viola C. Milton
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Public Broadcasting ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Programme Outcomes

Democracy requires open public service broadcasting (PSB) institutions that constantly interact with active informed citizens. This article posits that a more proactive network of civil society across Southern Africa can produce an impact on PSB institutions in these countries enhancing reform and accountability to the public. We enter this topic by identifying pathways towards increased cooperation among public service broadcasters, civil society coalitions and other stakeholders in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The main focus is on the interaction between broadcasters, policy-makers and civil society groups, namely SOS: Support Public Broadcasting in South Africa and the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, two leading media activist organizations in Southern Africa. The engagement by such networks can deepen public interest and reconnect PSB institutions and PSB staff to the PSB mandate and mission. Civil society coalitions working collaboratively with PSB will engender a context within which a collaboratively defined PSB mission, institutional structure and programme outcomes are constantly foregrounded in the operations and performance of the broadcasters.

scholarly journals Work Ethics, Values, Attitudes and Performance In The Nigerian Public Service: Issues, Challenges and The Way Forward

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Bernard Oladosu Omisore ◽  
Oyende Adeleke A.
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Unethical Conduct ◽  
Work Ethics ◽  
The Public ◽  
Service Oriented ◽  
Training Motivation ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Performance

Performance of the Nigerian public service has been a major concern to policy makers and researchers alike. This is because despite all measures put in place to arrest the ugly trend, it seems, it has defied all approaches towards tackling the problem of inefficiency and capacity collapse. Work ethics, attitudes and values can be influenced by the organization, through interventions like training, motivation and coaching, etc. However, they cannot be changed forcibly because they are intrinsic. It is, therefore, of fundamental importance that public functionaries act justly and fairly to all, not only paying lip service to ethical conduct but also ensuring that these are manifestly and undoubtedly seen to be done. This paper discusses the challenges of work ethics, values, attitudes and performance in the Nigerian public service. The major causes of unethical conduct in the public service were identified and the institutional mechanisms established by the government to curb these unethical behaviours were examined. This paper adopted content analysis as a method of data gathering and analysis. It suggested viable options for effective and efficient service-oriented public service. 

scholarly journals Public television and media literacy: the role of TV ombudsman programmes in Portugal and Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 245-265
Author(s):  
Sara Pereira ◽  
Jairo Faria ◽  
Clarisse Pessôa
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Media Education ◽  
Public Broadcasting ◽  
Public Television ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media

Is Media Literacy a dimension of the Public Service of the Media? Does public service television, in Portugal and in Brazil, contemplate Media Education in their policies and grids? Taking these questions as a departure and debating point, we have used sixteen editions of the ombudsman programmes of the public broadcasting companies of Brazil (Empresa Brasil de Comunicação – EBC) and Portugal (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal – RTP) as analysis corpus. In order to examine O Público na TV (The Public on TV) from EBC and A Voz do Cidadão (The Citizen’s Voice) from RTP, we have used a set of analysis categories which will allow, among other aspects, to understand the contribution of these programmes to the promotion of Media Literacy of the societies where they are broadcast and of the public they will reach. Generally speaking, the results show that, by developing a role of mediation with the public/audiences, the Ombudsman plays an important role as a Literacy Agent for the Media towards those audiences, even though that role could be reinforced and could express, in a more direct and clear form, the objective of Media Literacy.

scholarly journals The kiss of death. Public service media under right-wing populist attack

2021 ◽  
pp. 026732312199133
Author(s):  
Christina Holtz-Bacha
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Democratic Accountability ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
Democratic Control ◽  
The Media ◽  
Democratic System ◽  
Public Scrutiny

With the surge of populism in Europe, public service broadcasting has come under increased pressure. The established media are considered part of the corrupt elite not serving the interests of the people. The public service media, for which pluralism is at the core of their remit, are a particular thorn in the side of the populists. Therefore, they attack the financial basis of public service, which is supposed to guarantee their independence. The populist attacks on the traditional broadcasting corporations meet with the interests of neoliberal politics and of those political actors who want to evade public scrutiny and democratic control and do no longer feel committed to democratic accountability. The assaults on the public service media are thus an assault on freedom of the media and further increase the pressure on the democratic system.

De publieke-omroepopdracht in de ogen van het publiek: survey-onderzoek naar de toekomstige taak van de Vlaamse publieke omroep

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Dhoest ◽  
Hilde Van den Bulck ◽  
Heidi Vandebosch ◽  
Myrte Dierckx
Keyword(s):  
Survey Research ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Broadcasting ◽  
Future Role ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Service Broadcasting ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
The Future ◽  
Current Task

The public broadcasting remit in the eyes of the audience: survey research into the future role of Flemish public service broadcasting The public broadcasting remit in the eyes of the audience: survey research into the future role of Flemish public service broadcasting In view of the discussion about the future position of public service broadcasting, this research investigates the expectations of Flemings regarding their public service broadcasting institution VRT. Based on the current task description of the VRT, a survey was effectuated among a representative sample of Flemings (N=1565). Questions were asked about the content (broad or complementary to commercial broadcasting), audience (broad or niche) and distinctive nature of public service broadcasting. The analysis shows that, overall, Flemings are in favour of a broad public service broadcasting institution with a strong focus on entertainment (besides information), oriented towards a broad audience. At the same time, they believe the institution should distinguish itself from its competitors, through quality, social responsibility, cultural identity and (particularly creative) innovation, among other things. Cluster analysis shows that the call to prioritize culture and education over entertainment, which dominates public debate, is representative of only a minority (20%) of highly educated Flemings.

scholarly journals Fostering public accountability in South Africa: A reflection on challenges and successes

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pandelani H. Munzhedzi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Public Accountability ◽  
The Public ◽  
Current State ◽  
Public Service Provision ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Government

Accountability and oversight are constitutional requirements in all the spheres of government in the Republic of South Africa and their foundation is in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. All spheres of government are charged with the constitutional mandate of providing public services. The level of responsibility and public services provision also goes with the level of capacity of a particular sphere. However, most of the direct and visible services that the public receives are at the local sphere of government. As such, enormous resources are channelled towards this sphere of government so that the said public services could be provided. It is imperative that the three spheres of government account for the huge expenditures during the public service provision processes. The parliaments of national and provincial governments exercise oversight and accountability over their executives and administrations through the Public Accounts Committees, while the local sphere of government relies on the Municipal Public Accounts Committees. This article is theoretical in nature, and it seeks to explore the current state of public accountability in South Africa and to evaluate possible measures so as to enhance public accountability. The article argues that the current public accountability mechanisms are not efficient and effective. It is recommended that these mechanisms ought to be enhanced by inter alia capacitating the legislative bodies at national, provincial and local spheres of the government.

scholarly journals Determining Innovation Aspect in the Performance of Public Service Sector

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 361-368
Author(s):  
Qaanita Yuuha Mustafid
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Private Company ◽  
Organizational Survival ◽  
The Public ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
And Performance

Innovation is important for organizational survival, not only for private company but also for Public Service Company. When the private company needs to develop innovation to win the market competition, public service sector develops innovation in order to increase efficiency and public service quality. In order to evaluate and develop the successful innovation, the company needs to measure innovation performance. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for measuring innovation performance in the public service sector. This paper also identified the variables associated with innovation performance measurement in the public service sector. Using qualitative methods, we developed a performance measurement framework based on the literature review of innovation and performance measurement. The measured variables consist of inputs for innovation, innovation processes, innovation outputs, and the outcomes of implementing innovation. This research is expected to contribute to the literature used by academics and companies that have similar characteristics to measure innovation performance.

scholarly journals Analysis of Genres of the BBC One TV Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-122
Author(s):  
Alexey V. Gorobiy
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Public Broadcasting ◽  
Global Media ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
Sign Systems ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cultural Forms ◽  
Flexible Programming ◽  
Tabloid Press

The relevance of the study is based on the fact that the BBC One channel is interesting as an example of a public service broadcaster which retains its image and competitiveness on the global media market. The goal of the research is to analyze the BBC One programming with regard to its forms of journalists and cameramens work. The semiotic methodology is chosen for interpreting sign systems, i. e. journalists texts or TV frames, as interconnected phenomena of culture. As a result, important sociocultural and philosophical elements integrated into the BBC One programming and determining its genre profile have been revealed. The social mission of the public broadcasting, combination of regional and metropolitan grounds, the prevalence of serious news genres are among them. Moreover, the programs are open for entertaining content including a foreign-made one. There is also a visual and aesthetic adaptation of pre-TV cultural forms of theater and the tabloid press, etc. Therefore, we can speak of a rather flexible programming policy of the BBC One, which can be a good model to develop strategies for public service broadcasters in other countries.

scholarly journals South Africa's Debut into Broadcasting Criminal Trials – The Legal Arguments in Televising the Oscar Pistorius Trail

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Amanda James
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Criminal Trial ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Criminal Trials ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
Live Broadcast ◽  
Legal Arguments

The televising and/or any other form of broadcasting of judicial hearings and of criminal trials in particular is a controversial topic that has not only provoked debate and been argued about by academics, the media and the public for years, but continues to be argued about with few signs of abatement. Until recently South Africa had largely escaped becoming embroiled in this provocative topic, as the live broadcasting of criminal trials from South African courtrooms did not occur. The situation has changed, though, following the recent live televising of a full criminal trial – namely, the trial of South African Para-Olympic champion Oscar Pistorius. Given that this trial signalled South Africa's debut into the world of the live televising of criminal trial proceedings, the question is asked why exactly South Africa ventured into this contentious legal territory.It must be emphasised that the intention of this contribution is solely to explore the court's consideration of the constitutional mandates and rights that were contained in both the application and the opposing arguments pertaining to the live broadcast the trial of Oscar Pistorius. This note will not attempt to examine or even approach the far greater question of whether criminal trials should be televised or not, a topic better left to future research.      

Women and Media

2021 ◽  
pp. 8-23
Author(s):  
Zeljka Lekic-Subasic
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Public Service ◽  
General Public ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
Existing Data ◽  
National Borders

Difficulties that women face in the media professions and discrimination against women's access to decision-making posts within the media is a problem that transcends national borders. Becoming a greater part of this particular workforce would help to expand both the amount and quality of visibility for women – in news, television, and public sphere in general. Public service media (PSM), as broadcasting, made, financed, and controlled by the public and for the public, with the output designed to reach everyone and reflect all voices, should treat gender equality with the utmost importance. The existing data indicate however that, although some progress have been made, there is a lot to be done: while women among European PSMs represent 44% of the workforce, the number falls to less than 25% at the higher and executive positions. This chapter analyses the efforts made by the European Broadcasting Union's members and the measures they recommend.

Comparing Intelligence Accountability

2021 ◽  
pp. 22-43
Author(s):  
Christian Leuprecht
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Intelligence Community ◽  
The Public ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Media ◽  
Legislative Committees ◽  
Institutional Architecture ◽  
Key Terms

This chapter reviews the literature of intelligence accountability, reviews different theories, and introduces readers to key terms such as oversight, review, control, and governance. This book complements the process of intelligence oversight—the practice of holding ISAs to account, whereby ISAs have to justify their activities—with other types and levels of accountability. Typologically, accountability bodies differ by ways and methods they use to hold ISAs accountable: they can review, oversee, or control Intelligence and Security Agencies (ISA), and/or accept and address complaints concerning actions or activities of an ISA. Although conventionally they assessed compliance within an intelligence community, as of late they have been performing additional functions, such as promoting innovation. The different types of accountability are complemented by various layers in which Intelligence and Security Agencies are held accountable: internal, managerial, and external. The chapter introduces readers to the institutional architecture of intelligence accountability: legislative committees, judicial and quasi-judicial bodies, bureaucratic and administrative bodies, and executive oversight. It goes on to review intelligence accountability frameworks: laws, legislatures, the executive, the judiciary, the media, the public, civil society, and the democratic interest. The chapter closes on developments in international and supranational accountability cooperation.

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