African Journalists at Crossroads: Examining the Impact of China, US...
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African Journalists at Crossroads: Examining the Impact of China, US, and the UK’s Short-Journalism Training Programs Offered to African Journalists

Journalism Studies, volume 23, issue 13 (2022), pp. 1654-1668

ISSN 1461-670X

“This study examined the impact of short-term journalism training courses offered to African journalists by China, the US, and the UK. The purpose was to examine how such trainings shape editorial independence, culture, and institutional autonomy of African journalism. Through the lenses of 28 journalists interviewed across the Sub-Saharan continent, we demonstrated that, unlike the US and Britain who were reluctant to openly show their influence, the Chinese government was directly involved, and the training focused on exposing journalists to the Chinese culture, and how to report China. Journalists who attended the Chinese training program indicated that China controlled the process of their news writing and reporting, and those who adhered were incentivized. On the other hand, the British curriculum focused on how to criticize and challenge the African leaders and their governments. The US training program emphasized the questions of ethics.” (Abstract)