Contesting the National Discourse: Power, Ideology and Media-State Relations in the 21st Century

The notion of power is fundamental to understanding the functioning and ambit of the emerging democratic states as well as of the media in those states. It is precisely in the realm of power that media and state clash and contest. At stake is dominance over what can be termed the national discourse: the overarching, normalised narrative of civil, political and economic interrelations as well as the rights and obligations that underpin them. A discourse of this kind, argues Muchie (2004), has an intrinsic power to frame, set parameters, suggest agendas, help select policy options and determine “us” and “them” (cited in De Jager 2006, 64).