commbox Nigeria

Patterns of Harassment in African Journalism

Lungile Augustine Tshuma, Trust Matsilele, Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga, Sadia Jamil (eds.)

New York: Routledge (2024), xvii, 251 pp.

"Drawing from case studies from selected African countries, an international team of authors offer a broad insight into the state of harassment across the continent, while building new theoretical perspectives that are also context-specific. The chapters bring previous theories and research up to da ... more

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Community radio and post-conflict peace building: A study of Orisun 89.5 FM in Ife–Modakeke, Osun State, Nigeria

Silas Oghenemaro Emovwodo, Mahfouz A. Adedimeji, Muhammad Saud, Rachmah Ida

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 16, issue 1 (2024), pp. 25-44

"This study assessed the extent to which community radio has contributed to the peacebuilding efforts after the Ife–Modakeke conflict in Nigeria, by investigating to ascertain listeners’ perceptions and adoption of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism in managing the conflict to av ... more

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Next gen news: Understanding the audiences of 2030

Aliya Itzkowitz, Ben Whitelaw, Daisy Donald et al.

FT Strategies;Knight Lab (2024), 84 pp.

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Mobile telephony and changing patterns of audiences’ engagement with global media in Africa

Abdullahi Tasiu

Global Media and Communication, volume 20, issue 1 (2024), pp. 71-89

"This article explores the patterns and consequences of transnational audiences’ engagement with global media in the digital age, focusing on experiences in Africa. It examines Nigerians’ interactions with the BBC World Service, and draws on active audience theory and Joseph Nye’s soft power c ... more

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Africa Privacy Report 2023/2024: A Review of Policy Trends and Digital Frontiers in the Data Protection Landscape

Linda Bonyo, Jorge Clarke, Risper Onyango et al.

Nairobi: Lawyers Hub (2024), 46 pp.

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“When One Finger Picks Oil, It Reaches Others”: An Examination of Nigerian Journalists’ Perspective on Motivations for Online Harassment

Temple Uwalaka, A. Fred Amadi

African Journalism Studies, volume 44, issue 4 (2024), pp. 289-309

"Online harassment of journalists is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon. Many attempts have been made to investigate the prevalence of the phenomenon. Unfortunately, findings prove that online harassment of journalists is indeed on the rise. What is lacking, so far, in the literature is an in ... more

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Digital Platforms and the Global South: Reconfiguring Power Relations in the Cultural Industries

Philippe Bouquillion, Christine Ithurbide, Tristan Mattelart (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), xiii, 239 pp.

"This book addresses the issues raised by digital platforms in the Global South, with an emphasis on the cultural stakes involved. It brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers - including political economists, socio-economists, geographers, media sociologists or anthropologists - who ... more

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Eyewitness Textures: User-Generated Content and Journalism in the Twenty-First Century

Michael Lithgow, Michèle Martin

Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press (2024), 365 pp.

"News consumers have come to expect and demand the unprecedented immediacy of experience and coverage of breaking news offered by photographs, video clips, audio recordings, tweets, commentary: content created by ordinary citizens. The use of user-generated content is a salient aspect of how journal ... more

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Environmental Communication

Anabela Carvalho, Tarla Rai Peterson (eds.)

Berlin: de Gruyter Mouton (2024), xx, 600 pp.

"This handbook reviews extant research and offers critical summaries of key topics and issues in the field, enriched by authoritative analyses of specific cases and examples. It displays pluralism across a number of axes: epistemological, theoretical, geographical, cultural, and thematic. The first ... more

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Insurgency in northeast Nigeria: Are journalists safe to report?

Umaru A Pate, Abubakar Jibril

Journalism (2024), [no pag.]

"This article interrogates the effectiveness of the safety measures available for journalists in the challenging operational environment. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 16 journalists representing different organisations from the conflict-prone areas in northeast Nigeria. Finding ... more

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The Routledge Companion to Journalism in the Global South

Bruce Mutsvairo, Saba Bebawi, Eddy Borges-Rey (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), xxiv, 491 pp.

"Responding to mounting calls to decenter and decolonize journalism, The Routledge Companion to Journalism in the Global South examines not only the deep-seated challenges associated with the historical imposition of Western journalism standards on constituencies of the Global South but also the opp ... more

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Mass Communication in Africa: Conventions, Issues and New Paradigms. A Festschrift in Honour of Augustine Ufua Enahoro

Taye C. Obateru, Godfrey Naanlang Danaan, Daniel Cirman (eds.)

Augustine Ufua Enahoro (honoured person)

Jos, Plateu State (NI): University of Jos, Department of Mass Communication;Fab Anieh Nigeria Limited (2024), vii, 317 pp.

Effectiveness of art therapy in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and the propensity to quit journalism among journalists covering banditry activities in Nigeria

Felix Olajide Talabi, Joshua Kayode Okunade, Joseph Moyinoluwa Talabi, Ishola Kamorudeen Lamidi, Samson Adedapo Bello, Blessing Chinweobo-Onoha, Gever Verlumun Celestine

Media, War & Conflict, volume 17, issue 4 (2024), pp. 445-462

"The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of art therapy in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the propensity to quit journalism among Nigerian journalists covering banditry attacks. The researchers utilized a quasi-experiment as the design for the study and sampled ... more

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Media in Africa: Issues and Critiques

Toks Oyedemi, René A. Smith (eds.)

New York; London: Routledge (2024), 232 pp.

"Featuring contributions from global scholars, that represent both new and established voices on the African continent and the diaspora, this volume explores themes of decolonization, media freedom, media censorship, identity, representation, pluralism, media framing, political economy of the media ... more

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Gaming in Africa

GeoPoll (2024), 30 slides

"GeoPoll’s latest report, “Gaming in Africa,” provides a detailed exploration of the burgeoning gaming scene across Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Drawing from the perspectives of more than 2,500 gamers, this report shines a light on the habits, preferences, and challenges of the Afr ... ican gaming community. Highlights from the survey include the following: The Prevalence of Mobile Gaming: The survey reveals a significant tilt towards mobile gaming, with an astounding 92% of respondents playing games on their mobile phones. This preference is driven by increasing smartphone penetration and the Android platform’s dominance, with 92% of respondents having downloaded games from the Google Play Store. Engagement: Gaming serves as a primary source of entertainment, relaxation, and a remedy for boredom for the majority of gamers, with 73% playing for fun and 64% for stress relief. Expenditure: Financial investment in gaming is noteworthy, with 63% of gamers having made a purchase related to gaming. The amount spent varies, with 29% spending between $2 to $5 monthly, illustrating a willing but cost-conscious gamer base. Navigating the Barriers: The report also identifies barriers to gaming purchases, with 47% preferring free games and 44% citing a lack of funds. The cost-related challenges extend beyond purchases, as gamers list the cost of data bundles (42%) and expensive gaming hardware (31%) among their top challenges. A Call for Cultural Representation: Over half of the respondents value cultural relevance in games, and a substantial 44% feel there are not enough games with characters that look like them or environments similar to their life, signaling an untapped market for local content creation. In-Game Advertising Insights: Despite mixed feelings about ads in games, a surprising 63% have made a purchase after seeing an ad in a game. This suggests that while ads may be met with some resistance, they remain a potent tool for engagement and monetization within the gaming ecosystem. The Local Gaming Scene: A striking 56% of respondents are unaware of any games made in Africa, highlighting a significant gap in visibility and market penetration for local developers. However, there is a growing interest in supporting local talent, with varied sentiments across countries regarding the importance of local games." (Key findings summary) more

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Strategic Communication Management for Development and Social Change: Perspectives from the African Region

Tsietsi Mmutle, Tshepang Bright Molale, Olanrewaju Olugbenga Akinola, Olebogeng Selebi (eds.)

Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2024), xix, 287 pp.

"This book is the first of its kind within the African region to combine scholarly perspectives from the fields of Strategic Communication Management and Communication for Development and Social Change. It draws insights from scholars across the African continent by unravelling the complementary nat ... more

The Global Faith and Entertainment Study: A Study of Attitudes and Perceptions Regarding Faith and Religion in Entertainment

HarrisX;Faith & Media Initiative (2024), 25 pp.

"The study seeks to understand consumers’ and decisionmakers’ perspectives on how current entertainment media treats themes of faith, religion and spirituality in its narratives and characters, if there is a market for more accurate and diverse representation of faith, and what opportunities exi ... more

Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023
Top Insights

Nic Newman, Richard Fletcher, Kirsten Eddy, Craig T. Robertson, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (eds.)

Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2023), 158 pp.

"Across markets, only around a fifth of respondents (22%) now say they prefer to start their news journeys with a website or app – that’s down 10 percentage points since 2018. Publishers in a few smaller Northern European markets have managed to buck this trend, but younger groups everywhere are ... showing a weaker connection with news brands’ own websites and apps than previous cohorts – preferring to access news via side-door routes such as social media, search, or mobile aggregators. • Facebook remains one of the most-used social networks overall, but its influence on journalism is declining as it shifts its focus away from news. It also faces new challenges from established networks such as YouTube and vibrant youth-focused networks such as TikTok. The Chinese-owned social network reaches 44% of 18–24s across markets and 20% for news. It is growing fastest in parts of Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. • When it comes to news, audiences say they pay more attention to celebrities, influencers, and social media personalities than journalists in networks like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. This contrasts sharply with Facebook and Twitter, where news media and journalists are still central to the conversation. • Much of the public is sceptical of the algorithms used to select what they see via search engines, social media, and other platforms. Less than a third (30%) say that having stories selected for me on the basis of previous consumption is a good way to get news, 6 percentage points lower than when we last asked the question in 2016. Despite this, on average, users still slightly prefer news selected this way to that chosen by editors or journalists (27%), suggesting that worries about algorithms are part of a wider concern about news and how it is selected. • Despite hopes that the internet could widen democratic debate, we find fewer people are now participating in online news than in the recent past. Aggregated across markets, only around a fifth (22%) are now active participators, with around half (47%) not participating in news at all. In the UK and United States, the proportion of active participators has fallen by more than 10 percentage points since 2016. Across countries we find that this group tends to be male, better educated, and more partisan in their political vie ws. • Trust in the news has fallen, across markets, by a further 2 percentage points in the last year, reversing in many countries the gains made at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. On average, four in ten of our total sample (40%) say they trust most news most of the time. Finland remains the country with the highest levels of overall trust (69%), while Greece (19%) has the lowest after a year characterised by heated arguments about press freedom and the independence of the media." (Summary, page 10) more

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