Mass Communication is not Journalism

Journalism and Mass Communication Differ

Principles, Ethics, Laws of Professonal Journalism

Citizen journalism versus professonal journalism

Scoops of Western Media on Africa: Mere Binoculars Journalism

Africa is a continent that has been or I should say is still being plagued by litany of economic and socio-political woes. This is evidently seen in the myriad of the man made and natural problems that every now and then trigger off there. No wonder why it has become veritable laboratory for western media journalists to perfect systemic unhealthy journalism that portrays Africa as perpetually ugly, bad and no good.

Undoubtedly, Africa is like an ignored news field that western journalists suddenly swoop down on though with binoculars instead of parachutes whenever any of these phenomena of disease, famine, war, death, corruption, nepotism, dictatorship or other stereotypes that the continent was and is globally known for occur. Only then is the interest of the Occidental reporters rekindled in the continent and of course then they balloon “the negative, giving scant regard to areas of notable progress, development and achievement. Almost like there is a desire to maintain an archaic and dire image of Africa. An image which it infact helped establish in the minds of its viewers since pre-slavery times.”

Salisu Koki writing on ohmynews.com, says “regrettably enough, the once valued and highly regarded Western media have slipped a bit from its renowned tradition of fair and balanced reporting, most especially when it comes to reporting issues pertaining to Africa and Africans.” Reiterating, Raymond Belleh (2006) adds “the western media continues to have a field day at Africa's expense, doing a great disservice to Africa undermining its history, rich culture and tradition and overall historical contribution to world affairs.”

Western media may not entirely be at fault for the gross discredit it makes on Africa. Perhaps the audience back home is desirous of nothing short of lampoons and sarcasms which they have from time immemorial become wont to. Assenting, Sis. Margaret (2008) says: “Africa simply lives in their imaginations because the media fathom their audiences and do very good job telling them what they want to hear, see, or read… No one can blame them for selecting stories and images their people like.”

Proffering sop to the way forward, Sis. Margaret enthuses that what the continent needs is its own media to tell its own stories, carve its own image so the western audience would have heard that the news reported on Africa via “binoculars view", whatever the merits, only helps to reinforce the age-old stereotypes. And to begin finding solutions, Africans need their own independent media, financially strong, professionally managed, deciding contents and context, and capable of competing with other media. Without this, Africa is interpreted by others who scarcely understand it.

So when next time the so called “global Big brothers” sit at the conference table to deliberate on how to find global remedies to Africa’s epidemic, endemic or pandemic outbreaks, they should as well discus possibilities of helping to sustain a continental media for it. So that Africa can use it to add the emended fairness and objectivity that is void in the reportage western media makes on it. Unless the powers that be in the global arena of where resolve on panacea to Africa problems consider this continual surliness of western media reporting on Africa part of the continent’s problems and make it point of global responsibility to address it, then perhaps the continued stereotype reports on Africa by Occidental journalists will not be thawed.

Suffice to say that my aforementioned suggestion may not be realizable in the farthest future. If something would be done, I certainly would not kid myself or others that the western political benefactors of Africa will build a continental mass media for the continent. Not with recent dwindle in the amount of global spending channeled to Africa. There are no more watersheds in the donation Africa needy countries receive from global donors. The reason being that most western political philanthropists are looking more inwards than outwards. Even when they do, there must be some kind of benefit if they will give aid. So the onus to a brisk solution lies in African leaders to cooperate and in solidarity join resources and manpower to sustain a continental media with which to recreate the image of Africa in the view of the global audience from the dastardly stereotypes western media reporters have more often than not depicted it.

References

1. *Salisu Ahmed Koki (2006) Western Media and Africa: Balanced Reporting? www.english/ohmynews.com
2. *Raymond Tarek Belleh (2006) The Western Media and Its Exploitation of Africa www.africanevents.com
3. *Sis. Margaret (2008) Poverty in Africa: The solution http://cozay1.blogspot.com

Modernization of Modern Journalism Practice

When I first, heard of modernization concepts, I took it with some optimism. I reckoned it will be good for the world particularly for the field of journalism. Now we are being stared at in the face by post modernization problems that are now even evident in journalism practice. And as we have learned from those who have critiqued modernity in all ramifications: modernity is a consequence of technological surge in the world.

Today, we are now looking at reflexive modernization also known as the modernization of modern society. “When modernization reaches a certain stage it radicalizes itself. It begins to transform, for a second time, not only the key institutions but also the very principles of social structures in modern society” (Beck et al, 2003). The aftermath is reflexive modernization, which as Beck and Co opine: “where unintended and unforeseen side-effects of modern life…”

One of the aspects of modern society which modernization has also radicalized is the journalism stratum. Forerunners of journalism practice modeled it to tell news and to interpret newsy events and issues with narratives that are completely appropriate so as to provide the public with truthful account. To help achieve that, the principle of verification was imbibed in the process of news gathering. Besides, there was also gatekeeping or editorial censorship, which helped to sustain factuality and structure of news.

With advent of information communication technologies, and increasing level of citizen participation in news reporting process, what we have now is a breech in the ‘first modern’ journalistic practice vis-à-vis holding facts as sacred and molding public opinion towards salient goals. We have now the ‘second modernity’ of the profession. That is, a modernization of the way journalism is being conducted. The effect of this has given calls for reflexive modernization on modern day journalism.

How would you explain that a traditional media outlet employs cybermedia technologies as “journalistic weblogs that offer non journalists a place to publish without the restrictions of a corporate environment and editorial limitations? When weblogs first hit the internet’s tarmac was it not heavily critiqued by adherents of the traditional media? They considered it an internet bugaboo then. So why did the traditional media not settle for only online versions of their media? What made them proceed to supporting blogging and weblogs causing change in its traditional practice? I dare say it is because of “modernity”- the second modern phase of journalism practice. Is the world not experiencing its post modern effects already?

The more modernity makes core values of journalism tradition disappear, the more we have to be receptive to information, much of which is catapulted by zealous flare for news creativity rather than for news reporting. And as the network societies of both professional and unprofessional journalists get more empowerment from technologies to reach the audience, at the receiving end is you and me. What do you think?

Footnote
Beck, U., Bonss, W. & Lau, C. (2003). The Theory of Reflexive Modernization, Theory, Culture & Society, Volume 20, Issue 2, 1-33.