Global news coverage today plays an influential role in perpetuating negative, stereotypical perceptions about Africa.
Narratives around poverty, disease, conflict, poor leadership, and corruption, in particular, are to blame, noted Abimbola Ogundairo, advocacy and campaigns lead at Africa No Filter. “There are still lazy stereotypical stories about Africa floating around. These stories lead to narratives [that] impact people,” she said.
A “colonial mentality” pervasive in the West contributes to the spread of these narratives, explained Bernardo Motta, associate journalism professor at Roger Williams University. “[Global media] think that their job sometimes is to expose the bad and they don't feel responsible for what that causes,” he said. “That's one thing we need to change because exposing the bad is important, but if you stop there you are causing harm.”
Determined to better identify these narratives and how they play out, the University of Cape Town, launched the Global Media Index for Africa, a new database that tracks and critically assesses how 20 of the world’s leading news providers report on Africa.
Jointly funded by Africa No Filter and The Africa Center, the Index seeks to “hold a mirror up to global media” in the hopes that newsrooms can produce more responsible coverage of Africa in the future, explained Ogundairo, the Index’s project lead.
It also aims to help media outlets recognize how their coverage can have significant impacts on foreign investment and global policy as it pertains to Africa.
Gathering data
To build the Index, researchers analyzed more than 1,000 online news articles between June and December 2022, across four indicators: the diversity of topics covered, sources interviewed and quoted, the number of African countries covered, and depth of coverage.
“We want global media to see quantitatively and qualitatively what they do, the impact of what they do, and how it can be better,” said Ogundairo.
Among the outlets assessed were CNN, Deutsche Welle, Russia Today, Bloomberg, Xinhua, Le Monde, The Guardian, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, The Economist, VOA News, AFP, Reuters, BBC, CGTN, Financial Times, RFI, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
U.S. newsrooms
The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post ranked at the bottom of the Index.
Motta didn’t find this outcome surprising. He noted that U.S. media tends to have a focus too narrowly on the stories they cover in Africa.
“I’m not surprised that three American organizations were at the bottom of the Index, because the West always has this view of the world that it's only news if it interests [or] impacts us directly,” said Motta. “These organizations serve certain interests and worldviews. It's not that they are openly biased or they're trying to cause harm, but because they see the African continent as something specific.”
Changing African coverage
The Index found that newsrooms generally performed well when it came to “depth of coverage,” which takes into account balance, context, framing and stereotypes. Researchers say it’s an indication that these outlets recognize what constitutes strong news coverage.
The Index assessed that many outlets only covered a few African countries in depth, which limits them from exploring innovative solutions and development happening elsewhere on the continent, said Ogundairo. Some newsrooms also fail to diversify their reporting sources, instead amplifying the voices of powerful men.
“Without exception, the global media organizations in this study devoted disproportionate space to powerful men — from politicians and businesspeople to experts — as primary news sources in their stories about Africa, showing that men still dominate news in and about Africa,” reads a key highlight from the Index.
Alexander Chiejina, strategic content lead at Nigeria Health Watch described global media’s portrayal of Africa as “one-dimensional,” arguing that it does not represent the continent’s rich culture and innovations.
These prevailing narratives “overlook the continent's diversity and positive developments [which is] creating a skewed image that Africa is a continent perpetually in turmoil,” he said.
A story told locally
One way to have more effective coverage of Africa, say media experts, is to empower local reporters and editors to tell their own stories and cover locally-led solutions.
“We cannot rely on non-Africans to tell the African story,” Ogundairo said. “I see the role local reporters and editors can play. We must recognize that there is a lot more good to benefit from telling more representative stories about Africa.”
Motta suggested that local media outlets collaborate with one another to produce stories for a global audience. “It becomes a story told locally, but seen globally,” said Motta. “It doesn't have that extractive international gaze on that topic; it's the local outlets doing that and getting all the benefits themselves.”
Among the Index’s recommendations were for news organizations to invest in media diversity and gender equity, adopt ethical reporting principles, and carry out media literacy and cross-cultural exchange programs.
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