Report focuses on citizen journalism and democracy in Africa

par بسام سبتي
30 oct 2018 dans Miscellaneous

A new report released by Rhodes University in South Africa analyzes citizen journalism within Africa's unique political, economic and technological context.

The ethnographic study, "Citizen Journalism and Democracy in Africa," reveals that the media landscape is shifting in Africa to allow more engaged citizen participation in journalism. According to the report, there has been rapid growth in information and communication technologies; the Internet is increasingly available to citizens, and the number of cell phones has surpassed fixed lines in most countries.

Along with these developments, journalism is rapidly evolving into democratic participation, it says. Citizens now have the ability to report news or express views on their community, and news is becoming "of the people, by the people and for the people."

The report also outlines several problems associated with citizen journalism, namely: Who authorizes this kind of journalism? How can citizens be held accountable? Should citizen journalism be institutionalized?

To view the report, written by Fackson Banda, click here.