"This collection of 41 pieces of African journalism includes passionate and committed writing on labor abuses, police brutality, women’s rights, the struggle for democracy and independence on the continent and other subjects. Each piece of writing is introduced by a noted scholar or journalist who
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explains the context and why the journalism mattered." (Back cover)
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"Beim Stichwort „mündliches Erzählen“ denkt man hierzulande vor allem an „Märchen“, kurze und wundersame Erzählungen der Landbevölkerung vergangener Zeiten. Tatsächlich aber kannten alle Kulturen raffinierte Erzählkünste, die häufig auch Schriftliteratur und Theater inspirierten. Au
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s historischen Berichten über Erzähler und ihre Auftritte, ethnologischen Forschungen und nicht zuletzt durch zahlreiche Erzählungen der verschiedenen Kulturen entsteht eine ebenso informative wie vergnügliche Kulturgeschichte des mündlichen Erzählens. Die bezeichnenden Formen und Funktionen der vielfältigen Erzähltraditionen ergeben ein schillerndes Bild der Kommunikationsform „Erzählen“: die Interaktion zwischen Erzähler und Hörern in den Dörfern Afrikas etwa, die Improvisationstechnik der Epenerzähler Mittelasiens oder die Unterschiede zwischen männlichem und weiblichem Erzählen im islamischen Orient. Öffentliches Erzählen diente stets auch der Verständigung über Werte und Einstellungen. Die modernen Massenmedien können den interagierenden Erzähler nicht ersetzen, was verständlich macht, warum dieses „Urmedium“ neuerdings auch in der „Mediengesellschaft“ wieder eine überraschende Faszination ausübt." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"IREX partnered with Lore.Ai to test whether machine learning software can automatically detect news articles that contains journalists’ own opinions. This matters because impartial, fact-based news is a powerful indicator for the quality of media and the vibrancy of an information ecosystem. A te
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am of professional media evaluators trained machine learning software to find examples of news articles that contain opinions from a body of over 1,200 online Mozambican news articles. The software identified articles that contained opinions with 95% accuracy. This accuracy was achieved after only 16 rounds of training the software, and anecdotes from the team suggest that the software’s accuracy noticeably improved after only about 20 minutes of “training”. The results have promising implications to improve efficiency, scale, and consistency of traditionally manual and time-consuming media monitoring efforts, such as helping projects target resources more effectively to support journalists whose articles are flagged by the software. The process also surfaced valuable lessons about limitations of applying machine learning to monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) in global development contexts, such as reinforcing human bias or the need to invest in indigenous machine learning talent to apply these tools sustainably. The experiment was implemented in Mozambique, where IREX’s Media Strengthening Program (MSP, funded by the United States Agency for International Development) supports Mozambican professional and community journalists and their media platforms to provide high quality information to citizens." (Key findings, page 1)
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"Sustained media interest in African countries, funded from deep pockets in Beijing, may well attract admirers if the coverage is positive or uncritical. The forward-looking narrative promoted by 'constructive' or 'positive' reporting may help developing nations by not crushing them under too much e
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arly scrutiny. However, lacunae in CCTV [China Central Television]. Africa's critical focus harm its overall journalistic credibility, no matter how widely its features and some of its news reporting are praised. African journalism - rooted in Western traditions — is acquiring the tools to hold its own leaders to account. CCTV Africa may disseminate Chinese soft power, but its state media position militates against the notion that it can be a source of soft power itself." (Page 117)
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"Between August 2017 and July 2018, CRF implemented the Kilimo Mtaji project (“agriculture makes sense” in Swahili) in Tanzania and DRC. The aim of the project was to seize the power of youth-produced radio shows and outreach events in order to share key messages that raise awareness around fina
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ncial literacy and agriculture as a business, incentivise uptake of services and increase access to service providers, advocate for youth-friendly policy changes and create pathways of opportunity and access to employment for youth [...] The first chapter unpacks the communication campaign model CRF used and its achievements. The chapter further explains the reasons why this campaign model is effective in an African context. The chapter then unpacks the youth-centred approach and shares some of the achievements of this model during the pilot phase in Tanzania and the DRC. The second chapter unpacks the pedagogic approach used to capacitate the youth reporters with the ability to produce quality radio shows and conduct outreach events around these topics. The third chapter provides guidance on the use of various tools developed for the purpose of this project. These tools are the fact sheets, radio guides and outreach guides. Fact sheets are developed for youth reporters to use as factual foundations for their own research and localisation of project topics. Radio guides unpack the process of developing a specific topic for radio shows. Outreach guides look at the process of using radio skills to develop interactive live events with radio listeners, or specific targeted audiences, on a particular topic." (Pages 2-4)
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"This report maps the current landscape in respect of digital rights and online freedom of expression in East, West and Southern Africa. It looks at the trends regarding law and policy developments, as well as recent litigation, within these regions. The report focuses on 18 countries – 6 per regi
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on – and tracks the recent developments that have taken place in these countries. Part I of the report provides an overview of the litigation before the ACHPR and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Court) in respect of freedom of expression. Parts II, III and IV of the report look at the trends generally in East, West and Southern Africa respectively, as well as some of the key legal and civil society actors working on digital rights and online freedom of expression, and include a snapshot of some of the notable developments – both positive and negative – that have occurred in the 18 countries under consideration in this report, as well as reflections on opportunities and challenges for vindicating digital rights within each of the countries. Lastly, Part V considers what the next possible opportunities will be for digital rights and online freedom of expression litigation in the region." (Pages 5-6)
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"The authors present regional trends from Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and Eastern Europe in light of global developments in investigative reporting, taking into consideration different muckraking cultures, and share examples of successful strategies of investigative media outlets. They suggest
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that a comprehensive and collaborative approach in supporting investigative media is needed to ensure a viable future for investigative media as well as the sector itself. For this, a model describing elements specific to the viability of investigative journalism is presented to help media startups, donors, media development NGOs identify possible areas of support." (Abstract)
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"My research focuses on two FM radio stations in Ethiopian capital-Abay FM 102.9 and Bisrat FM 101.1 in serving their audiences by providing content deliveries in news writing and reporting. The study based on what listeners of the mushrooming FM radio stations complaints on lacking content from the
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broadcasters particularly news in keeping informing them about their lives and what is going on in their surroundings and beyond that internationally. The research’s specific objectives and research questions were focused on examining the reasons of the broadcasters in delivering their works in professional ways keeping standards, assessing the factors that affect the quality of news and investigate what room the radio stations have to diversify their sources of news. The stations are selected by taking the time of their licensing, since they were the second generation FM radio stations in the capital (and of the country). The time of the study was from early March- mid April 2018 for six weeks (Monday-Friday). A total of 542 news items Mid-day (12:00 am) news from Abay and early evening news (06:00 pm) from Bisrat were collected, coded, categorized and evaluated as well rated for their news values. The researcher utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research methods. News of radio stations thoroughly investigated by hearing each of them qualitatively in professional ways the quantitative research work was done by Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings reveal that the problems of lacking content from the FMs are a real one." (Abstract)
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"La publication de ce "Manuel de protection des journalistes" rentre justement dans le cadre des actions que mène JED pour la sécurisation des journalistes et autres professionnels des médias dans leur travail. Cette sécurisation, nous essayons de la promouvoir par la sensibilisation, et par des
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sessions de formation à l'intention des professionnels des médias. Mais JED n'a, ni les moyens, ni le pouvoir d'assurer la sécurité physique des journalistes, qui est de la seule responsabilité de l'autorité publique. L'initiative de ce petit "Manuel de protection des journalistes" fait suite au constat malheureux de la multiplication des attaques et des agressions des journalistes que nous enregistrons souvent pendant les périodes de campagnes électorales. Beaucoup de journalistes et correspondants de la presse nationale ou internationale sont souvent pris pour cibles lors des manifestations politiques, et leurs matériels de travail détruits. Plus particulièrement, lors des manifestations politiques qui ont tendance à dégénérer ou à déraper, les journalistes se retrouvent assez souvent victimes de ces débordements, alors qu'ils sont appelés, malgré les risques, à faire leur travail aussi sur terrain. Les médias audiovisuels sont le plus souvent touchés, car leurs équipes de reportage sont obligées d'être sur le terrain, et parfois dans le feu de l'action pour couvrir les événements. Voilà pourquoi JED a jugé utile, pour réduire un tant soit peu les risques qu'encourent les professionnels des médias, de les sensibiliser sur " Ce qu'il faut faire " et " Ce qu'il ne faut pas faire " pour ne pas s'exposer outre mesure. Tout en gardant en conscience que le risque zéro du métier d'informer n'existe pas, les mesures de précautions proposées dans ce Manuel ne sont qu'indicatives, et ne sauraient être exhaustives, tant il vrai que chacun en fonction de sa situation particulière ou de ses moyens de défense, peut adopter les attitudes et les comportements qu'il juge lui- même salutaires pour sa sécurité et celle de son entourage." (Page 4)
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"Das Ziel dieses Artikels ist es: 1) den Kontext der Einführung des Kinos in Kamerun zu beschreiben und 2) die Produktion und Nutzung deutscher Kinofilme in Kamerun zu erfassen und zu analysieren. Wir werden uns insbesondere mit der Frage der Entstehung des Kinos in Kamerun während der deutschen K
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olonialzeit beschäftigen und mit seinen Pionieren." (Seite 1)
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"Religion, Media, and Marginality in Modern Africa is one of the first volumes to put new media and old media into significant conversation with one another, and also offers a rare comparison between Christianity and Islam in Africa. The contributors find many previously unacknowledged correspondenc
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es among different media and between the two faiths. In the process they challenge the technological determinism-the notion that certain types of media generate particular forms of religious expression-that haunts many studies. In evaluating how media usage and religious commitment intersect in the social, cultural, and political landscapes of modern Africa, this collection will contribute to the development of new paradigms for media and religious studies." (Publisher description)
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"Christianity as the predominant religion in Zimbabwe consists of several faith groupings, each of which responds to public events through the mass media. Mainline churches uphold a conventional human rights approach to faith-based political criticism, while Mapostori or Apostolic churches follow an
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Africanist form of faith and appear to condone some alignment with the authoritarian ruling party. In the sampled media coverage of three online newspapers, the political use of religious strategies or practices from various faith groups by the president and high-ranking party functionaries is reported from either the former government-sanctioned view or an oppositional stance. Moralist reprimand is levied at various politicians from a religious rationale, assuming good and evil, church and state, Christianity and African spirituality, which, however, remain abstract since there is no overall faith-based guidance for political behaviour beyond a secular constitution that still appears utopian. The critical discourse analysis suggests that complex relationships exist among the various faiths, causing diverse religious interpretations of political events. This suspension of Cartesian thinking results in a continuing circular logic of blame and prayer, disaster and prophesy instead of the use of constitutional democratic institutions to hold politicians accountable. Such logic seems sustained by politicized interpretations of spiritual entities, spiritual interpretations of political events and by the perceptions of the Zimbabwean public, who, as believers of one or other faith, is equally at the mercy of opportunistic ‘prophets’ from many denominations as it is targeted by the political powers of the day." (Abstract)
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"Around the world diverse actors are working to develop technology that directly improves social conditions. This report refers to these types of technology as ‘social tech’. Examples of social tech include anti-corruption systems for citizens to report bribes; communications platforms for refug
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ees on the move; and systems that allow farmers to plan their next crop. The resulting report surveys how social tech is produced and used across sub-Saharan Africa, and what interventions might enrich and improve this ‘ecosystem’. Its primary focus is on information and communication technologies (ICT), though many of its lessons will apply more broadly. It also concentrates on accessible systems, in which the end user is the person who benefits, rather than on specialised systems for professionals. Commissioned by funders in the social tech sphere, the purpose of this report is to find where intervention might improve the ecosystem. We believe that addressing key weaknesses in the ecosystem can help new social tech initiatives – with powerful base-of-the-pyramid benefits – to succeed." (Executive summary)
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"The study found that the media gives only 12% coverage to inequality issues in Ghana. Thus, across the 22 media outlets, 783 stories focused on inequalities out of a total of 6,477 stories monitored. It was also observed the media’s attention is largely focused on social inequalities overlooking
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other forms like economic and political inequalities among citizens. Moreover, 68% of the stories that focused on inequalities were generated through already made or routine news sources such as coverage of press conferences and events, as against enterprising means of generating stories. This indicates the media’s lackluster commitment to the coverage of inequality issues. The study further found that 6 out 10 of the stories on inequality were framed episodically. Thus, majority of the stories were treated as single, isolated incidents of inequality rather than being part of a bigger or broader issue of widespread inequality. It is, therefore, recommended that, given the gap in inequality reporting as observed through the study, journalists and editors are trained to increase their knowledge on inequality issues and also equipped with the requisite skills to report inequalities for impact and policy redress." (Executive summary)
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