Media Coverage of China-Africa Relations: the Case of the BBC and ETV (original) (raw)
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Media Coverage of China Africa Relations
Mater paper, 2013
The main aim of this study was to examine the media coverage of China- Africa relations in light of Framing and Orientalism theories. The study focused on the 21st century China- Africa relations, when China has become one of the world’s powerful nations and Africa has started building a new name. It also pointed out emphasized and deemphasized issues and commonly utilized media sources. To this end, a qualitative method, (particularly) textual analytic method was used. The BBC and ETV were selected purposefully and their online version of the news stories published from Jan. 2011 to Feb. 30, 2013, were collected from the websites, www.com/newsandwww.erta.gov.et, respectively. The analysis shows that the BBC and ETV online news stories used the South-South co-operation frame, non-interference frame, and mutual benefit frame in articulating China-Africa relations. While ETV’s online news stories focused on success-oriented positive narratives in describing the relationship, the BBC online news stories presented both the positive and the negative sides of China-Africa relations a bit with some exaggerations on the negative side of the relationship. Along the negative side, the BBC's online news stories framed the relationship as a new form of colonization. However, ETV had nothing to say about the negative consequences of China’s practice on the Continent. ETV online news stories highlighted the economic and political gains that have accrued from China-Africa relations, whereas they deemphasized the negative influence the relationship brought on Africa. The two selected media outlets represented China-Africa relations differently. What is more, while ETV’s news sources were predominantly official government sources, the BBC used an array of sources from different walks of life in its news production. This might be attributable to the fact that the two media outlets follow different models of journalism: ETV follows the developmental journalism model, whereas the BBC adheres to the liberal model. Finally, based on these findings a few recommendations have been suggested.
Journalism and Communication Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences*
2014
Chinese entry on the African continent and the subsequent impact on global relations using soft power are of increasing interest to many scholars. This paper explores the local perspectives towards this trend by analysing the media coverage of China in Africa using Uganda as a case study. Content analysis of articles on China in two national dailies is being carried out using several variables, supplemented by Key Informant Interviews and observations. A review of the media coverage and general perceptions of China from the West shows a predominantly negative image, portraying China as bringing neo-colonialism and a new capitalist system to Africa. China’s relationship with Africa is seen as exploitative where China is benefitting from Africa’s natural resources without giving due consideration to sustainability issues. Most of the views on China have been propagated by voices outside Africa. Premised within the Political economy and globalisation theories, this paper wi...
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Chinese media engagement in South Africa. What is its impact on local journalism?
China's footprint in Africa's media sector over the last decade has reached dimensions that makes it impossible to go unnoticed. In South Africa, one of the countries where this imprint is most diversified, Chinese media have been engaged in a varied range of activities, including content production and distribution, infrastructure development, direct investment in local media, and training of journalists. Building on previous exploratory studies by the authors, this paper addresses an unresolved question in the study of China's media internationalization: the impact on journalism. Using data from twenty semi-structured in-depth interviews with editors, journalists and policy makers, we investigate how much influence Chinese media exercise on journalism in South Africa. We present responses along three dimensions: consumption of and attitudes towards Chinese media, impact on local journalism and views about South Africa-China relations. Our data offers evidence that, despite having substantially increased their presence, Chinese media are far from having a profound impact on media professionals. While some interviewees report the adoption of some Chinese media in their daily news consumption, scepticism towards China, and by extension its media, dominates. We discuss these findings in the context of Chinese state-owned media's attempts to increase their discursive power globally.
Hybridizing journalism: clash of two “journalisms” in Africa
Chinese Journal of Communication, 2018
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International Communication Gazzette, 2022
With the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration working toward the resetting of policies and strategies toward Africa and China, the question of whether African journalists will be accorded a chance to tell an African narrative amid the trilateral relationship has become more apparent. The influence exerted by China in African poses questions of whether China is "constructively" reporting Africa and whether journalists do see themselves as telling an African story. This study interrogates the role of African journalistic paradigms within a broader framework of what it means to constructively report Africa. It argues that despite the overwhelming challenges, the African media can tell its narrative if, (a). it seriously interrogates its journalism education system, (b). focus on in-depth reporting as opposed to efficiency and convenience, and (c). value its epistemologies and localize its content.
Sino-Africa relations through the lenses of Western, African and Chinese media
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In the modern era, the mass media represents one of the most important factors shaping foreign policy. It plays a central and active role in providing justification for policy positions, and is often the lens by which current events are viewed and given weight by the public and by policymakers alike. An important way that the media performs this role is by its use of ‘framing.’ A useful definition of the term ‘framing’ in this context is when certain aspects of perceived reality are chosen and assembled into narratives which emphasizes facts or events, deemphasizes others, and links them in a manner which promotes a particular interpretation, assessment, or resolution. By the use of framing, the media influences how its consumers understand a particular topic. 1
An analysis of Botswana-China relations in the Botswana print media
Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, 2015
Africa-China relations have been topical since China opened up to the world in the late 1970s. Various views have been expressed by global media, analysts and academics about the motives, agenda and form of the relationship between China and Africa. The media not only reflect social reality but actively shape perceptions and views of readers on a wide range of topics, and as such, they form a very important site of data in the study of Africa-China relations. Some research has been carried out to determine how Africa-China relations are depicted in the media in African countries, the US, Europe, and China. This study therefore contributes to this body of scholarship on the depiction of Africa-China relations in the media by assessing how Botswana-China relations are portrayed in the Botswana print media. The study was done through content analysis of stories and features appearing in four newspapers. The findings of the study show that the coverage of the Botswana-China relations ca...