Research design: Case Study

Because case studies are best suited to research projects which seek to answer “how?” and “why?” questions (Baxter & Jack, 2008: 545), this design was chosen for this study into how the arts were reported on in a sample of community newspapers published in Cape Town and why they were reported on in a particular way. Yin adds that:

All case study research starts from the same compelling feature: the desire to derive a(n) (up-)close or otherwise in-depth understanding of a single or small number of “cases” set in their real-world contexts. (2012: 4)

Rose, Spinks and Canhoto (2015: 130) emphasise that while case studies are most commonly associated with qualitative research and qualitative data, “this need not be so and quantitative data can readily be incorporated into a case study where appropriate”. The choice of case study design, therefore works well with the use of a qualitative as well as quantitative research methods to gather the information required for this research project.

Yin (2012: 4-5) notes at least three situations which create relevant opportunities for applying the case study design when conducting research: when research addresses a

descriptive question or an explanatory question; when data is collected in a natural or real- world setting and when one is conducting an evaluation. While some scholars view case studies as a preliminary, exploratory form of research to prepare for another kind of research, Yin (2012: 5) argues that this view is outdated and that case study research “goes well beyond exploratory functions”. In the case of this investigation into the state of arts and entertainment reporting in community newspapers published in Cape Town, the research describes and evaluates – against the normative expectations of the media – how the arts and entertainment are being covered in these papers.

Baxter and Jack (2008: 545) note that case studies allow for close collaboration

between researcher and participants who are allowed to tell their stories and through doing so, describe their views on reality, giving the researcher a better understanding of the participants’ action. In this study, understanding, for example, the context of the newsroom, will give a deeper understanding into how arts pages are put together.

The goal of a case study – a design that emphasises the participant’s perspective as central to the process (Zucker, 2009: 14) – is to tell the story and its findings, clearly separated from conclusions and interpretations (Zucker, 2009: 12). Baxter and Jack draw comparisons between single and multiple case study designs. They note that, in the case of single case study

designs, holistic case studies refer to a group of subjects in a common environment or unique situation (2008: 549), while single case studies with embedded units study sub-units within the greater unit (2008: 550). Multiple case studies, on the other hand, contain more than one single case, often requiring multiple experiments. The difference between multiple case study design and single case with embedded units design, they explain, is that in the case of multiple case studies, the contexts are different (2008: 550). A combination of holistic and descriptive case study design best describes this study, with the “group of subjects” being the community newspapers being assessed, the “common environment” being Cape Town and phenomenon being described, being the way arts are reported on in community newspapers distributed in Cape Town.

Once the researcher has decided which case study will be used, five key components must be in place before the research is undertaken: research proposition(s); units of analysis; research questions; a determination of how the data are linked to the propositions; and criteria to interpret the findings of the research (Zucker, 2009: 3). Research done has lead me to the proposition that in spite of their importance in post-apartheid South Africa, both arts reporting and the community newspapers sector remain under-researched and that there is no published academic work which focuses on a combination of the two. Units of analysis include the community newspapers in my sample as well as all news content focused on arts and entertainment.

Baxter and Jack (2008: 555-556) add that the foundations for achieving valid, credible results from case study research are that research questions must be properly formulated; the case study design must be appropriate for the research question(s); the researcher must apply purposeful sampling strategies appropriate for the chosen cases study design; and collected data must be managed systematically and analysed correctly.

My research questions have been formulated as such: 1) How do Cape Town’s

community newspapers compare in terms of their coverage of the arts? 2) What resources have been allocated to Cape Town’s community newspapers for arts coverage and the development thereof? 3) What kinds of arts reporting is included in Cape Town’s

community newspapers? 4) What are the challenges for journalists who cover the arts for community newspapers in Cape Town? 5) What role does the coverage of the arts in Cape Town’s community newspapers play in the development and/or promotion of local arts and entertainment industries?

To answer question 1, I will count the number of arts- and entertainment related items were published during the monitoring period in the respective newspapers, establish which

disciplines were represented, how many local versus national and international stories were in the sample, the average number of arts and entertainment items per edition and how many of these items are attributed to a reporter. To answer questions 2, 4 and 5, I will conduct in-depth interviews with the editors of the selected newspapers as well as PR professionals and those involved in promoting the arts, reporters who write about the arts and former judges of a national arts journalism competition. Question 3 will be addressed through interviews as well as qualitative and quantitative content analysis.

3.3 Data gathering