Media Coverage: Africa | media-criticism

Portrayal of Africa by the Western Media

by Najeeb M. Alsaihati, '17

Major: Communication, Media Production & Criticism

Introduction

The media plays a significant role in the dissemination of information to the public. In the modern society, there have emerged different forms of media that serve to inform and educate the public on important matters. However, there have been concerns about the nature of reporting that appear biased and discriminative on particular individuals, races, and regions.

The issue is driven by the aspect of the framing of news by the reporters and media outlets. Selection of events, regions, and personalities to make news is dependent on framing. It is noteworthy that some journalists make certain impressions before reporting news, and the perspective is also evident in movies and film series. Media outlets and journalists take the time to frame news in a manner that appeals to their audience or serves their interests. It has come to the attention of many people that the western media is incorrect and biased reporting about African news and stories.

George Gerbner coined the words Mean World Syndrome (MWS) to elucidate the fact that violence-linked news in the media makes the audience feel that the world is dangerous. Gerbner is among the notable researchers about the impacts of the media on the society. He maintains that the media influence people into thinking that the world is unsafe and unforgiving. The concept of the MWS is used alongside the cultivation theory in the media-related matters. As such, there is a significant link between the audience’s viewpoint and the media content. The media shapes and influences people’s beliefs and behaviors about certain races, religions, and regions around the world. Thus, it is important to examine the representation of the African region by the western media.

The discussion will utilize media theories and case examples to understand ways in which the western media depicts the African region. Closer examination of the matter reveals that the media of the West asserts that Africa is a poverty-stricken, war-torn, and helpless area. The perspective is not correct as Africa is one of the emerging and fastest growing economies in the world. Journalists and media outlets need to have an elaborate and accurate understanding of content before framing stories and news to suit their interests. Overall, objective journalism will assist in reducing incidences of biased and unfair coverage and framing of African news and stories by the western media.

In analyzing the coverage of Africa by Western Media, it is important to understand the concepts of framing and context and the role they play in how an audience perceives a news story. Framing is how a journalist chooses to approach the story (Somerville, 2013). The unique angle from which the journalist tells the story. This is subject to the journalist’s personal biases and other influences.

Context is the background of the news story. Context is imperative in helping the audience to understand the message of a news story. Any message that is received out of the context it was intended is a misinterpreted message. The context depends on the unique circumstances surrounding a particular event. The same words when spoken in different contexts mean different things. The Western Media’s reporting of the Ebola Crisis in West Africa is a case example of how both the context and the framing can be manipulated to give the wrong impression about an event to the audience.

The Western Media insisted on reporting Ebola as a continent-wide crisis despite this being obviously false. The resulting restrictions on travel caused economic distress to counters who had not been affected directly by the Ebola crisis (Mawdsley, 2014). The media’s framing of Ebola as a continent-wide epidemic was misleading to western populations for whom the media treats Africa as some monolithic behemoth. The media also significantly misreported the role of local medics in handling the Ebola crisis. While they did most of the work in fighting the epidemic, the Western media instead chose to focus only on the role of the few Western Medics who had been sent by their respective governments to help in the crisis at the expense of local medics.

Discussion

A research fellow at the University of Kent, Keith Somerville, agrees that framing of African stories reflects the constant tendency of stereotyping about the region and its people. He argues that it is not wrong to frame stories although he recognizes the need to appreciate the context of the stories (Somerville, 2013). Biased stories reflect the fact that many journalists fail to think and analyze the stories objectively. At times, reporters use their thoughts and worldview when reporting the news. Editors and journalists have a crucial role in deciding the story to cover or even ways to make the content fair to the target audience. The representation made by news has impacts on the public’s depiction of a region and the people. Regrettably, most of the Western editors and journalists make the wrong interpretation about Africa due to failure to use the standard approach in news coverage. Negative coverage and stereotypes are some of the effects of biased reporting (Somerville, 2013). The approach taken by the Western media affects the audience’s understanding of the particular news item.

In trying to explore the portrayal of Africa by the Western media, it is important to understand the aspect of personalization bias. The prejudice occurs where the broadcasting places greater emphasis on emotional stories and human-interest than the beneficial news that addresses the real issues in the society. In doing so, the media does not undertake an objective analysis of events and content but tends to create emotions that alter the opinions of the audience. A good example is the reporting of Ebola crisis in West Africa where some western media outlets reported the epidemic affected the whole African continent (Fedorov, 2015).

In its headline, NBC News wrote that “U.S. Sends Team to Fight Africa Ebola Outbreak.” A reader would make the conclusion that the African continent is experiencing the effects of the disease. The western media uses such stories to generate attention from the audience while at the same time making incorrect references about the region.

Moreover, the western media dramatizes the African stories, especially those that touch on the crisis. Such stories and events tend to follow a movie-like format. The western media exaggerates an African story or crisis for an extended period to whip emotions on the audience. In particular, the media publishes images and videos that are not appealing to the public in the name of making negative portrayal. The images have the potential to encode and reinforce cultural attitudes and stereotypes about the community (Tsai, Spain, & Wang, 2013). For a long time, the western media is greatly interested in covering news and stories that touch on challenges, such as famine, poor governance, and poverty, facing some of the African regions. The media ignores the real socio-economic progress made on the African continent over the last two decades (Mawdsley, 2014). Skewed reporting about African stories by the Western is a reflection of the negative portrayal of the region by the westerners.

A close examination of the African region and its people reveals that the area is endowed with massive resources. Over the last two decades, the region has witnessed exceptional socio-economic growth to become the fastest growing area in the world (BBC, 2012). It is also notable that the region has committed to utilizing the best practices, as witnessed in other parts of the world. That said, one cannot ignore the fact that the region faces multiple challenges that emanate due to its stage in socio-economic growth. In other words, it would be unreasonable to equate the region to some parts of the world that are highly developed. Nonetheless, the western media needs to report positive and objective stories that would help the world understand the area and its people. The correct and unbiased portrayal is necessary to reduce the potency for bias, prejudice, and stereotypes about Africans.

Negative reporting about Africa has adverse effects on the treatment of its people by the outside world (BBC, 2012). In particular, Africans are seen as stranded individuals who cannot make any significant socio-economic progress without assistance from the wealthy nations. As seen in the Gerbner’s concept of MWS, it is clear that the westerners believe Africa is a hostile continent that cannot support human life. Others create the notion that Africans are second-class people who cannot achieve progress due to consistent plaques. Negative coverage and reporting of African stories emanate from the poor framing of the news. It is important for media outlets and professionals to utilize standard and objective approach when making reference to African stories. Additionally, journalists should embrace professionalism in their duties to ensure that the media plays its legitimate role in educating and informing the society. Factual information is important during news coverage while avoiding chances of bias and misreporting.

For a long time now, Africa has been represented and depicted negatively by the Western media. The move has polluted the viewpoint of the Westerners about Africa and its people. The media describes Africa as a helpless society that is characterized by violence, corruption, poor governance, poverty, and diseases. Negative portrayal makes westerners discriminate against Africans. Skewed reporting shows that journalists are yet to understand the positive aspect of news framing. It is important to make the accurate portrayal of events and stories to ensure better representation of a region and its people. While some parts have particular socio-economic and political challenges in Africa, it is incorrect to make a biased and generalized portrayal about the area.

The media has an important obligation in informing and educating the audience. Thus, it is important for journalists and media outlets to utilize an objective approach in news coverage and reporting. The western media should stand at the forefront to communicate issues that will help in the formulation of solutions to African problems. They should also demonstrate the positive elements of the African society and its position in the global affairs.

References

BBC. (2012). Whys: Do negative reports hurt Africa? BBC News. Retrieved from www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-17949812.

Fedorov, A. (2015). Media stereotypes analysis in the classroom at the student audience. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 12(2), 158-162.

Mawdsley, E. (2014). China, Africa, and the West: Media representations in a changing world. London International Development Centre. Retrieved from www.lidc.org.uk/news/china-africa-and-west-media-representations-changing-world

Somerville, K. (2013). Framing news in Africa: How journalists approach stories and reinforce stereotypes. African Arguments. Retrieved from http://africanarguments.org/2013/02/26/framing-news-in-africa-%E2%80%93-how-journalists-approach-stories-and-reinforce-stereotypes-%E2%80%93-by-keith-somerville/

Tsai, C., Spain, S., & Wang, A. (2013). Paternalistic leadership: Impact of authoritarianism and benevolence on subordinate performance. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2013(1), 16428-16428.