ABSTRACT

Through textual analysis of Facebook comments on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s (ZBC) page, ZBC-TV News Online and Twitter hashtag, #RIPJudithMakwanya, the study explores how ordinary people remembered the station’s veteran broadcaster upon her death in 2019. This was combined with interviews to understand journalists’ reactions to the commentary. The study argues that digital platforms now allow press criticism on a public forum, enabling citizens to form their own interpretive communities and police each other. However, political economy factors undermine press criticism’s effectiveness in shaping journalism.

摘要

通过对津巴布韦广播公司 (ZBC) 页面、ZBC-TV 新闻在线和 Twitter 主题标签 #RIPJudithMakwanya 上 Facebook 评论的文本分析，该研究探讨了普通人如何在 2019 年去世时记住该电台的资深广播员。 这与采访相结合了解记者对评论的反应。该研究认为，数字平台现在允许在公共论坛上进行新闻批评，使公民能够形成自己的解释社区并相互监督。然而，政治经济因素削弱了新闻批评在塑造新闻业方面的有效性。