Research projects

Safety of journalists – and online bullying project

As SG of the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) I am part of the M20 Secretariat involved with research on safety of journalists – and online bullying. The M20 is an independent initiative that mirrors official G20 engagement groups for business, think-tanks, and civil society (media for example). I am engaged with writing a policy brief on the issues related to journalism safety and linking this to the theme of the G20: Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability for Journalism as a Public Good. Find out more.

Glass Ceilings for women in SA media

Glass Ceilings for women in SA media – I am busy with taking this 2016 project forward for a Glass Ceilings 2026 – what are the new threats for women in the media and in journalism in particular, in the online social media space.

Unfair competition and the MDPI

Unfair competition and the MDPI – I am involved here with a variety of media organisations in the civil society space of taking a case to the Competition court – this case involves the dominance of global big tech and its unregulated nature, and the loss of revenue and subsequent job losses in the local media industry. 

African Journalism Studies Special Issue: Indigenous Language Community Media, Cultural Studies and Participatory Development: Lessons from the African Continent

African indigenous language media and journalism encompass people’s native languages still in existence and extinct among the different African communities wherever they are found; African native physical and spiritual communication systems, media and journalistic forms, and indigenised Western communication systems such as radio, television, print, news broadcasting, film, digital platforms and so on through which African agencies and stories can be showcased. In an edited scholarly compendium, African Language Media, Mpofu, Fadipe and Tshabangu (2023) further describe indigenous language media and journalism as collective tools that Africans use for communication, socialisation and community. Furthermore, much of what has been written in terms of research on indigenous language media in Africa tends to concentrate on themes such as indigenous language extinction (Ngulube, 2012), revitalization (McNulty, 2019; Roy-Campbell, 2019), language policies (Robinson & Vũ, 2019), the role of indigenous language media in education, indigenous language and digitization (Salawu, 2021), indigenous language sustainability, economics, and development (Salawu, 2016), to mention a few. Platforms, such as, radio (Leketanyane et al, 2021), television, (Mpofu et al. 2023), music (Salawu and Fadipe, 2022), theatre, social media networks, and media audiences political economy of minority language radio (Mathe and Motsaathebe, 2023), social media platform and indigenous language media (Mathe, 2024) have been used as reference points for the research conducted in the abovementioned themes. Geographically, interesting insights and scholarly debates have extensively covered Anglo-Saxon regions in Southern Africa, East Africa, and West Africa, with fewer studies coming from areas such as North Africa and Francophone countries in the continent.

In addition, and more thematically, the is a dearth of research interest devoted to Indigenous Language Community Media and Journalism practice in Africa. This is notwithstanding some scattered studies that have emerged over the years where specified and individualised aspects of indigenous language media and journalism are dealt with, although not exhaustively. For example, Chibuwe and Salawu (2020) published a study in AJS, where they found that English Language Newspaper Journalists in Zimbabwe tend to perceive those working in indigenous language press as “rejects” since their craft is less respectable, not lucrative and not worth building a solid career on. Another example is the work by Tshabangu and Salawu (2022), who proposed a new research agenda that calls for works in indigenous language journalism in Africa, after observing that this research area remains under-explored due to lack of scholarly interest, neglect, and an obsession with commercial and mainstream media that use colonial “lingua Franca”, such as English.

Submission Instructions: The Interested scholars can submit of 500-word extended abstracts, 6-8 keywords, and 100-word Author Bio(s) to Tshepang.Molale@wits.ac.za and cc to israel.fadipe@augustineuniversity.edu.ng  

Timelines

• Deadline for submission of 500-word extended abstracts, 6-8 keywords, and 100-word Author Bio(s): 12 September 2025
• Date for communication of abstract acceptance or rejection: 12 October 2025
• Deadline for submission of Full 6000-8000 word research article: 27 March 2026 (the AJS ScholarOne Manuscript Portal will be opened for authors to submit their full papers)
• Deadline for Submission of review reports to Authors for correction (double-blind peer review): 15 May 2026
• Deadline for submission of revised articles and change logs from authors: 19 June 2026
• Deadline for submission of final manuscripts, together with editorial to AJS: 31 July 2026

The journal uses the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed., author-date. All submitted articles/manuscripts will be subjected to plagiarism detection software, such as iThenticate and Turn-it-in, to guarantee originality.

African Language Radio and AI, Challenges & Opportunities: The Case of Phala Phala, Mughana Lonene, Ligwalagwala, Ikwekwezi FM, and Motsweding FM

Led by Dr. Tshepang Molale and Prof Iginio Gagliardone, this is a Postdoctoral project in the Department of Media Studies that investigates the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and African language radio broadcasting in South Africa. The project contributes to advancing scholarly inquiry in media, technology, and culture in the African context. Focusing on five key Indigenous language radio stations—Phala Phala FM (Tshivenda), Mughana Lonene FM (Xitsonga), Ligwalagwala FM (IsiSwati), Ikwekwezi FM (IsiNdebele), and Motsweding FM (Setswana)—the study explores the potential of AI to support the preservation, development, and sustainability of Indigenous African languages through broadcast media.

The project addresses both the challenges and opportunities that AI presents to minority-language media platforms. It aims to generate robust, policy-relevant insights by employing a comprehensive mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research tools to examine content production, audience engagement, and institutional adaptation.

Beyond its academic contributions, the project encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration across media studies, African languages and linguistics, AI technology, and cultural studies. It also opens pathways for industry engagement with broadcasters, technology developers, and policymakers invested in the future of African linguistic and cultural heritage.

It is hoped that the findings of this project will enrich the Media Studies curriculum, offering undergraduate and postgraduate students the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research and emerging developments in digital media. The project thus positions Wits University as a thought leader in the rapidly evolving field of AI-driven Indigenous language media and underscores our commitment to the promotion of linguistic diversity and cultural innovation in the digital age.