In search of the Daily Sun's recipe for success
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Date
2006
Authors
Froneman, J. D.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of Communication Science, University of the Free State
Abstract
One of the most significant media events of the past decade has been the founding of
the Daily Sun, a tabloid aimed at the low-income black market. This newspaper has
become the nation's best-selling daily within a year. Through a qualitative analysis of
the newspaper, it was found that it concentrates on soccer, sex, horror, personal
tragedies and traditional African beliefs (including witchcraft). However, the Daily Sun
is not a tabloid in the British Sun tradition: it does not publish pin-up pictures of girls
or celebrity scandals. It also carries substantial news and columns which can be
described as self-help or “developmental”. The Daily Sun has thus, to some extent,
adapted the tabloid genre, which in the past has been equated with one-dimensional
scandal journalism. It is argued that although aspects of the Daily Sun may not live up
to the ethical expectations of traditional Western journalism, its success in reaching a
new market of readers who did not read a newspaper previously must be acknowledged.
As such it has created a new public sphere where a section of the population has found
a place where some exchange of information and views can take place.
Description
Keywords
Daily Sun, Newspaper, Black market, Tabloid journalism, Low literacy readers
Citation
Froneman, J. D. (2006). In search of the Daily Sun's recipe for success. Communitas, 11, 21-35.