Sanctioned and Controlled Message Propagation in a Restrictive Information Environment: The Small World of Clandestine Radio Broadcasting

This dissertation seeks to identify the elements that inform the model for competing message propagation systems in a restrictive environment. It pays attention to message propagation by sanctioned and clandestine radio stations in pre- and post-independent Zimbabwe. This dissertation uses two models of message propagation in a limiting information environment: Sturges' information model of national liberation struggle and Chatman's small world information model. All the message propagation elements in the Sturges and Chatman's models are present in the broadcast texts analyzed. However, the findings of this dissertation indicate that communication in a restrictive information environment is designed such that its participants make sense of their situation, and come up with ways to solve the challenges of their small world. Also, a restrictive information environment is situational, and message propagators operating in it are subject to tactical changes at different times, accordingly altering their cognitive maps. The two models fail to address these concerns. This dissertation focused on message propagation in Zimbabwe because there is military belligerence involved in the information warfare. It therefore provides an extreme situation, which can help our understanding of more everyday instances of communication and interference of communication. Findings of this dissertation recommend the need to emphasize that information input, output and suppression are components dependent on each other; not discrete and independent categories of information activities.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2007

Author dc:creator

• Wachanga, David Ndirangu

Contributors dc:contributor

• O'Connor, Brian Clark
• Land, F. Mitchell
• Levin, C. Melinda
• Totten, Herman L.
• Lambiase, Jacqueline

• message propagation
• clandestine radio
• restrictive information environment
• information warfare
• Radio broadcasting -- Political aspects -- Zimbabwe.
• Radio in politics -- Zimbabwe.

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Wachanga, David Ndirangu
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 230811502
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5113/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc5113

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc5113