Field Reporting Practices of Community Radio Journalists Covering Service Delivery Protests in a South African Municipality

Community radio journalists in South Africa occupy a precarious frontline when covering service delivery protests, yet little is known about how they practically negotiate safety, ethics, and community expectations on the ground in specific municipal contexts. This study examines field reporting practices of community radio journalists covering recurring protests in one local municipality in Limpopo, South Africa’s northernmost province, using an integrated framework that combines journalism practice theory, field theory, and the concept of mode as a filter to analyse how organisational routines and infrastructural conditions shape what becomes audible as “news” from the street. Drawing on newsroom observations, ride-along shadowing of protest coverage, and semi-structured interviews with reporters, editors, and producers, the study shows how reporters balance solidarity with protesting communities, distance from party politics, and compliance with safety and legal requirements while improvising with limited resources. The analysis applies mode as filter to show how constraints on mobility, technology, and live reporting influence sourcing, language, and frames. The article concludes with practice-oriented recommendations for training, safety protocols, and editorial guidelines tailored to community radio protest reporting.