Information bill must be rubbished

By: Kopano Ramashala


The proposed information bill by the government must never see the light of day. Over the years, the ANC government has proved beyond reasonable doubt that they do not have the public's interest at heart. They have done so by introducing barbaric bills and amending others which it was totally unnecessary to do so. Remember the infamous resolutions taken at the much talked about Polokwane conference? It was just the beginning of more bills and resolution to be passed. By proposing a media tribunal, our corrupt officials wish to operate secretly and continue with their mondus operandi method until the return of Christ. They (Government) have wished the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO aka Scopions) away because the elite crime fighting unit was seen as an obstacle to riches and now the media seem to be next.

Just before they go ahead with drafting and implementing the bill, they should remember that the very same media they want to censor was used by themselves when they wanted to over-through the apartheid government. The very same media is used even today when they (Government) want the public to vote for them. According to me, those actions a tantamount to sinister, and in any way my opinion is that the bill is flawed and uncostitutional.

Media often than not, have an obligation to meet. Its obligation is amongst others to serve and inform the public, (information is a right and not a privilege) to be a mouth piece for parties concern in a particular event or crisis, and mostly to be agents of change. Yes to be seen as agents of constructive change. The proposed bill must never see the light of day, not in this democratic country. You silliness!!

How to be an Effective Communicator

By Kopano Ramashala

Introduction

What is effective Communication?

Effective communication is a two-way process - sending the right message that is also being correctly received and understood by the other person/s (recipient). Communication is a process of decoding and encoding meaningful messages. For effective communication to take place/occur, a more conducive atmosphere is of paramount importance, as this will play a major role in messages being encoded and decoded without being distorted or its original meaning being lost.

For communication to be effective, it is important to understand how the people you are interacting with may interpret your message. We obtain information through our senses, and it is therefore recommended that your communication includes aspects of the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic language to appeal to all listeners. However having hinted the above, there are a number of communication barriers that may play a major role in distorting meaningful messages or communication in the corporate working environment. These barriers may vary from, psychological disturbances, noise and other forms of discomfort. The following are a list of communication barriers that often than not are a cause for concern when communicating.

Communication Barriers

There are many barriers in communication.

Language can be a barrier. If the receiver does not understand the language of the sender, it is a barrier.

In electronic communications, such as radio or television, static or a weak signal can be a barrier. A bad receiver antenna can be a barrier as well.

Emotions can cause people to not be receptive to the words of another person, even if the words are understood. That is a barrier.

In short, anything that interferes with a signal sent to a receiver is a barrier to communication.

1. Language as a Communication Barrier

Typically, little communication occurs unless one or both parties learn a new language, which requires an investment of time and effort. People traveling abroad often encounter a language barrier.

People who come to a new country at an adult age, when language learning is a cumbersome process, can have particular difficulty "overcoming the language barrier". Similar difficulties occur at multinational meetings, where translation services can be costly, hard to obtain, and prone to error.

2. Physical Communication Barrier

Communication does not consist of words alone. Another set of barriers is caused by your own physical form, your viewers, or the background of the documents or by the appearance. Your ideas, however good and however competently pass on, are at the compassion of various probably physical barriers.

For writing, there is a whole barrage of possible physical blocks. No matter how well you write it, for example, a document may be unreadable for various reasons: stuck or rough margins, fingerprints or smudges, a faulty typewriter ribbon, unclear photocopies, unreadable word-processor printout, water or coffee spots, or messy alteration. Another set of physical barriers might be caused by paper itself: a poor quality of stationery, for example unsuitable use of cheep of stationery when a lustrous printed brochure might be needed to mean reputation, or inappropriate use of lustrous brochure when a simple photocopy might be needed to entail rapidity.

The above mentions are a summary of communication barriers. The main greatest communication barriers are as follows,

Noise
Distortion
Gender difference
Non-verbal communication
Problems in the message
Lack of communication skills
Information overload
Noise refers to the interference or distraction that is in the environment in which the communication is taking place.

Distortion refers to the loss of meaning of the message in handling. This largely occurs in the encoding and decoding stages of communication.

Gender differences are a common barrier of communication. Men and women communicate for different reasons with different styles.

Non-verbal communication is a very important barrier as oral communication is always accompanied by non-verbal cues that have a great tendency of encumbering the right message.

As for problems in the message, the message could be incorrect, irrelevant, unsuitable, incomplete or difficult to understand or decipher.

Also the encoder or decoder may lack communication skills, which becomes a barrier of communication.

Lots of information that is also termed as information overload can also be a big hindrance in effective communication.

Communication involves many considerations. Before it is being carried, it is essential that the manager responsible for executing the message gets fully prepared about how, when and by what means to execute

Conclusion

To promote effective communication, we communicators must be worry of the possible barriers that may impact negatively our messages.

Communication skill.

2. Knowledge of audience.

3. Attitude.

4. Social cultural context of receiver.

5. Selection of communication channel.

6. Receiver oriented message.

If we don't have proper communication skill, it is the biggest barrier in communication.

Then comes the knowledge of audience, while communicating we should have full awareness of knowledge of our audience, we should know how much our audience know about the message we want to convey. If we keep on conveying our message without knowing the knowledge or awareness of audience chances are there they will not understand the proper meaning of it.

We should have full awareness of attitude of out targeted audience, about the message we are conveying, how they are reacting towards it, and communicator should also have a good attitude while dealing with audience.

Social cultural context of the targeted audience is a very important thing. If we are communicating something in a manner which is against their society or culture then audience will show a severe reaction towards our message. No society accepts anything which is against their culture or religion.
While keeping in mind our targeted audience we should select a proper communication channel, if our audience is educated and working and have limited time and we are conveying our message for them on T.V then there are vital chances, that message is not conveyed. News paper would be the best channel. Just like that youngsters watch T.V more then they read news paper. Radio will be the best channel for the people who don't have access to T.V, i.e farmers etc.
Message should be receiver oriented should have easy language, should be short which convey the full meaning and understandable.
If any of these things neglected, it will be the barrier in communication

Reference:
Sheila Steinberg: An Introduction to Mass Communication

Shiela Steinberg: The red handbook: Effective Communication.

Prof J Fourier: Media Studies Vol 2.
The End

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Journalists are duty bound to reveal reality

Graduates and the Media

By kopano Ramashala

Graduates and the media often than not, have an obligation to meet. Their obligation is amongst others to serve and inform the public, to be a mouth piece for parties concern in a particular event or crisis, and mostly to be agents of change. Yes to be seen as agents of constructive change.

Allow me to refer in this topic to America’s invasion on Iraq as my example in demonstrating and protesting my point. As conspiracy theorists ague that America’s economy was sinking and hiding for disaster, America’s state head George W. Bush had to make a plan to try to safe his country from immediate disaster, explains one conspiracy theorist. President Bush saw an opportunity of invading Iraq and took the American media and challenged Iraq. In so doing he used the media and its personnel to change the mind sets of ordinary American citizens, to make them to believe him.

Through the media Bush created an illusion that Iraqis together with the Alkhaid people were Americas enemies and that they were out to destroy their way of living and must be stopped in their tracks. He accused Iraqis head of state of many things, amongst others, that he had weapons of mass destruction and went on and to say that he was a dictator and an oppressor. He changed people’s minds through the media.

As time went on, he attacked Iraq in a bid to free the Iraqis from the regime of Saddam Hussein. He created a mutual consent and made people to believe him.

During the war in Iraq, America experienced shortage of soldiers and more were needed. Media played a role in recruiting people from all over America. They were made to believe that they were out to fight the enemy.

But Michael Moore an American journalist went out his way to find out the truth behind the Iraqi war. He was determined to help people to understand what really the war was about. He covered all angles of the war and brought about change in peoples thinking. He wanted to bring about change in peoples lives. And he successfully did so. People started realising that President Bush was pushing a hidden propaganda in the American media. Michael Moore change people’s mind set and brought about sense to American people and the world in general. Today he is respected and regarded as an agent of change. In his bid of changing people’s minds, Moore also touched on what I have mentioned earlier, that graduates of the media have an obligation to meet. He met those obligations. He served and informed the public and was a mouth piece for both American people and Iraqi s. He asked questions that an ordinary person on the street longs to ask but does not have a platform to do so. He gave people a chance to ask their questions and tell their side of the story. But for most, he made people aware of what was happening and made them to protest against the decision of President Bush of attacking Iraq.

If institutions of higher learning produce people like Michael Moore, the world would be the safest place. And people’s views would be hard and people in turn would be informed and their needs would also be catered for. Graduates and the media is a tool created to bring about awareness and change and to reflect the real heroes and heroines than reflecting enemies, as opposed to Bush’s use of the media to reflect Iraq as its enemies.

He is brave as a lion

By Kopano Ramashala

When Loveness Sithole gave birth to her first born child in April 1982, it was probably one of her most cheerful moments in her life. She waited 21 years for her “ideal mate.” Although she hadn’t passed her matric, she was mature and ready for a parental stage, or so she thought. And Loveness had a reasonably suitable job at one of Johannesburg’s corner restaurants as a waitress.

Together with friends, they spend hours talking and chatting about their ideal mate, children and their future. How they wanted their kids to be successful and prosperous in their respective lives. Unlike them they wanted a bright future for their children, they were more than prepared to give birth and provide to their offspring’s. They, especially Loveness, wanted her son to have a decent life, a life she could only dream off.

Together with her boyfriend Titus Sibauyono, they brought up Relebogile (their newly born son) with, love care and respect. But it was just until Relebogile was three years when the two separated, after having countless problems, they decided to call it quits, and go their own separate ways. It was a difficult moment to cope with for Loveness, but never the less she vowed to never back down, “I made a promise to myself to be strong and I will raise this child of mine till the moment I drew my last breath.” And she did well for the time being. She earned R150 per seven days, so it was hard but she managed to take care of her beloved son, for the first few years, until inflation got at her wage.

She knew little about lives little surprises. It was 5 years later when Relebogile was only 8 years old when she started experiencing problems. First Relebogile was 8 years old and one year late for school. Loveness was very distressed as her potential waver was suppose to be in class in order for him to acquire the knowledge and skills of being doctor, lawyer, journalist or anything for that matter.

When Relebogile was about to turn 9 years old, she send him to live with his proud mother in the Rural areas of Marokolong, in Hammanskraal. But mama Lubisa Moloi was a pensioner herself and couldn’t afford to feed yet another child.
Besides the poor old lady had another bunch of 8 kids whom she raised in a two roomed shallow muddy house. Her pension couldn’t afford to buy food, parcels, bags, school funds and clothes. She hardly had enough money to put food on the table for all of them,
and Loveness’s money was just too little to help. 4 of the 8 kids belong to Lovenes’s brother whom together with his wife are diagnosed with HIV and are ailing to death. While the other 4 belong to her sister who died in an awful fatal accident 5 years ago. And social grants were taking their time to come.

This was just to much to bear for the tiny but enthusiastic Loveness. In a bid to overcome her ever deteriorating circumstances, Loveness went on a jolling spree in Jo’burg and eventually met Chassetah Mtoua a Malawian who clicked with Loveness at first sight. He is my ideal man, a perfectionist, wealthy and smart man, she bragged to her friends and he promised to marry me and take care of Relebogile.

Fortunately Chassetah lived up to her expectations and offered to take Relebogile to school the following year. But little did Loveness know about Chasseto’s hidden agenda and mission of his own to imprenate Loveness and ditch.

Relebogile is admitted for his first class at Sesoto Matshetta primary school at the age of 9. His mother Loveness only comes home every month end to see and leave money with them. She usually came home with Relebogile’s step father. But at times she came home alone and leaves Chassetah behind to take “care of some business”.
Two weeks after loveness returned to Jo’burg, she returned home and when Relebogile arrived from school, he was really surprised to see his mother. “Mom, why are you home in the middle of the month, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”. His mom replied with a crocodile smile, “I missed you and granny so much and I wanted to see you again”. “When are you going back to work?”. “Soon”, she replied.

Relebogile knew little or nothing about pregnancy and how pregnant people look like. It was only a week later when someone rang alarm about his mother’s pregnancy. “Relebogile how is your mom?” “She is fine”. “Has she delivered yet?”. “Yes, delivered what?”. “A baby you stupid boy!!”. “What baby?”. “You, you, don’t know? Your mom is expecting a new baby, silly!!”.

This really angered Relebogile very much. He thought he was all alone and every focus would be turned to him and suddenly someone new was on the way. He was distressed and worried. Never did he think he would have to fight for his mom’s heart with someone else. He thought he was the only and last son to Loveness.

When he got home, he engaged his mom about the new born baby on the way. “Mom!!” he yelled with tears running down his cheeks. Mma Masoubuka told me that you are going to replace me with someone new, is this true?”.

“What, new, someone?”. “The baby you are about to deliver?”. “Ooh, shoo, that?. I was going to tell you about your new young brother when the time is right. So since you found out yourself, well, it’s true.
We are expecting someone and you shouldn’t worry about it, because he is not going to take your place” he counseled his son. But Relebogile was not convinced and this did not end up well with him.

Loveness was 8 months pregnant and it’s 2 weeks since she last heard from Chassetah. She is worried and told her mother about it.
“Mma, he has not made any means off contacting me in the past 2 weeks, I think something is wrong”.

Loveness, despite her huge tummy, hiked to Johannesburg to find her lover, and was she shocked!!. She found out that Chassetah had moved from his place somewhere unknown to Loveness. This disturbed Loveness so much that she collapsed and woke up 4 ours later at Johannesburg Central hospital, her blood pressure was ab- normal and she also took an HIV test. 24 hours later her results were released and she tested positive. She was distressed, she felt awful about it, all the things happened to her in a lightning pace. Chassetah is gone and she is pregnant and also HIV positive.

2 days later, Loveness is discharged and released from hospital. A month later she went into labor and everything went wrong.

Due to her worries and high blood pressure problems, doctors were unable to contain her blood pressure level to normal and as a result she died just before giving birth, as well as her expected child.

Back home, Lubisa, Relebogile’s granny is shocked and has a heart attack and dies 3 days later in a coma.

Relebogile’s mom died just when thoughts of sending Relebogile to his father, Titus, seemed to be the best idea she had ever had. But it was just too late to do that. The two are buried along side each other at Ramotse Cemetery Park. Relebogile is left alone in the shallow muddy house. Live seemed so hard for the young man, but little did he know it was only the dawn of his new life.

Seven years later Relebogile is 19 and is writing his metric. He works hard and passed with an exemption score. He registers as a first year MDST student at University of the North. But due to lack of sufficient bursary information he runs into debt with the University and drops out. But with his “never say die” character, he manages to acquire information how to get a bursary and today, although he lacks intern practice, he is doing his final year as a Journalism student at Tshwane University of Technology and the the future became for him.

He has defied odds and has overridden some of the most difficult moments of his life. And he hopes his mother is happy with his progress where she is. He is on the verge of becomming what his mother wanted him to be, a Journalist.

THE END