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Thought Leader

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Ian Siebörger

Ian Siebörger is a senior lecturer in Linguistics at Rhodes University, specializing in discourse analysis, particularly the analysis of media and political discourses. His PhD, completed in 2018, is on the positioning of political parties in the Daily Sun's reporting. In his research he focuses on how emotive and evaluative language is used in the media to associate different ideas with particular people and organisations, shaping the opinions and knowledge that everyday citizens have about what is happening in South Africa's political landscape.

Posted inNews/Politics

Sisulu vs. Ramaphosa: the ANC’s war of (stolen) words

by Ian Siebörger 9 February 20229 February 2022

We need robust and open discussion about South Africa’s transformation. What we don’t need is ham-fisted attempts at political posturing and calling our judges names

Posted inNews/Politics

Why we still care about Zuma, and why we must get over him

by Ian Siebörger 15 September 20215 October 2021

Zuma has become symbol of South Africa’s deep-seated problems but, if we are to move on, we must lose our obsession with him

Posted inNews/Politics

A new South African axis of evil?

by Ian Siebörger 10 August 20215 October 2021

A linguistic analysis of news reports shows that each so-called star in Jacob Zuma’s constellation will be judged as guilty by association

Posted inHealth

Covid-19: Fast and furious like a runaway car

by Ian Siebörger 5 July 20215 July 2021

But we need to take care of the metaphors we use to describe the pandemic

Posted inHealth

Vaccine scepticism: Words can harm us

by Ian Siebörger 7 February 20217 February 2021

By stopping the spread of fake news, ordinary citizens can help us reach herd immunity

Posted inGeneral, Health

The what, who and when of reporting Covid-19’s festive season wave

by Ian Siebörger 8 January 202111 January 2021

Language reflects our preoccupations, and words such as “spike”, “contract”, “admission”, “prevention”, “grant”, “MAC” and “amid” now predominate in reporting on the virus

Posted inNews/Politics

The Zumas vs Zondo: a family drama?

by Ian Siebörger 11 November 202011 November 2020

The framing of Jacob Zuma’s attempts to have Raymond Zondo recuse himself because of a tenuous family connection can distract us from the state capture commission’s main objective: uncovering the truth about corruption

Posted inGeneral

The language telling the KwaSizabantu story

by Ian Siebörger 8 October 20207 October 2020

The complexity of the situation, with its multiple cross-cutting cultural and social circumstances, begs that we hear both sides

Posted inNews/Politics

Corruption casts a long shadow on our public discourse

by Ian Siebörger 3 September 20203 September 2020

When the words commonly associated in news stories with the term ‘Covid-19’ include ‘looting’, it’s time to shine a light on the problem

Posted inMedia

Words can paint a softened impression of Covid-19’s onslaught

by Ian Siebörger 5 August 20205 August 2020

Reporting is blurry but, reading between the lines, it seems more people have died from the disease

Posted inNews/Politics

Words matter: Struggles on three fronts of Covid-19 relief

by Ian Siebörger 6 July 20206 July 2020

Linking the word ‘Covid-19’ with ‘schools’, ‘impact’, ‘relief’ and ‘wards’ reflects the concerns about schools, the economy and medical treatment — stories that dominated in the media

Posted inNews/Politics

Getting to the heart of the South African lockdown debate

by Ian Siebörger 2 June 20203 June 2020

What is it that has created divisions over when the Covid-19 restrictions should be eased?

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