Challenging patriarchal scripts? A gender analysis of South Africa's community print media

abstract

There are an estimated 100 community print media titles in South Africa (Hadland et al, 2005), none of which are regulated by the Press Ombudsman. Instead, as none are members of Print Media South Africa (PMSA), they fall under the auspices of the Films and Publications Act. Different ethical standards, including those concerned with gender discrimination, apply therefore to the mainstream as opposed to the community print sector. What are the implications of this double standard? This article explores community print media's regulatory environment and reflects on what this means for the ways in which gender is understood and represented in the sector. It reflects on regulatory limitations even within the mainstream print media sector. It discusses a case study in which a feminist content analysis methodology is applied to two community print media titles.

keywords:

• City Vision
• Plainsman
• page 3 girl
• gender-based violence
• sport