Chinese media engagement in South Africa. What is its impact on local journalism? (original) (raw)
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While there has been academic discussions on the increasing Chinese media investments in Sub-Saharan Africa, there has not been any attempt to assess its impact on the local journalism and news reporting. The field research conducted for this paper was illuminating particularly how Xinhua News has been received and and used as a news source by editors and reporters.
Chinese Media in Africa Performance and Paradox
International Journal of Communication, 2021
Debates about Chinese interests in Africa that have emerged in the wake of unprecedented financial investments are often peppered with tales of postcolonial narratives. In communication scholarship, such debates are often characterized by a schism among African scholars who believe that China is there to uplift the African media through “constructively reporting” Africa, versus those who argue that China’s purported generosity is a “soft-power” strategy, as Caruso (2020) alluded (p. 55). In their studies, for example, Wasserman and Madrid-Morales (2018) and Benabdallah (2020) were able to demonstrate that China’s impact in the African media, and especially on journalistic values, is still questionable. These conclusions are mostly based on the study conducted in South Africa. There is still a dearth of scientific communication research documenting negative results, despite the underpinning theoretical assumptions. However, some dissertation work conducted in Zambia, where China now owns more than 60% of the government media, provides evidence of Chinese influence in the Zambian media. In my own forthcoming study, (Gondwe, forthcoming), I was able to demonstrate that China’s position in Zambian newsrooms has steadily been shifting toward a positive perception through the measure of sentiments and the interconnectedness of issue attributes (network agenda-setting). Regardless, these approaches take a Manichean prism that highlights the fears and hopes of Chinese presence in Africa. It is for this reason that Chinese Media in Africa: Perception, Performance, and Paradox becomes a must-read.
Journalism and Communication Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences*
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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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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.
Emeka Umejei, Chinese Media in Africa: Perception, Performance, and Paradox
2020
Debates about Chinese interests in Africa that have emerged in the wake of unprecedented financial investments are often peppered with tales of postcolonial narratives. In communication scholarship, such debates are often characterized by a schism among African scholars who believe that China is there to uplift the African media through “constructively reporting” Africa, versus those who argue that China’s purported generosity is a “soft-power” strategy, as Caruso (2020) alluded (p. 55). In their studies, for example, Wasserman and Madrid-Morales (2018) and Benabdallah (2020) were able to demonstrate that China’s impact in the African media, and especially on journalistic values, is still questionable. These conclusions are mostly based on the study conducted in South Africa. There is still a dearth of scientific communication research documenting negative results, despite the underpinning theoretical assumptions. However, some dissertation work conducted in Zambia, where China now ...
Emeka Umejei, Chinese Media in Africa Performance and Paradox: Book Review
International Journal of Communication, 2021
Debates about Chinese interests in Africa that have emerged in the wake of unprecedented financial investments are often peppered with tales of postcolonial narratives. In communication scholarship, such debates are often characterized by a schism among African scholars who believe that China is there to uplift the African media through “constructively reporting” Africa, versus those who argue that China’s purported generosity is a “soft-power” strategy, as Caruso (2020) alluded (p. 55). In their studies, for example, Wasserman and Madrid-Morales (2018) and Benabdallah (2020) were able to demonstrate that China’s impact in the African media, and especially on journalistic values, is still questionable. These conclusions are mostly based on the study conducted in South Africa. There is still a dearth of scientific communication research documenting negative results, despite the underpinning theoretical assumptions. However, some dissertation work conducted in Zambia, where China now owns more than 60% of the government media, provides evidence of Chinese influence in the Zambian media. In my own forthcoming study, (Gondwe, forthcoming), I was able to demonstrate that China’s position in Zambian newsrooms has steadily been shifting toward a positive perception through the measure of sentiments and the interconnectedness of issue attributes (network agenda-setting). Regardless, these approaches take a Manichean prism that highlights the fears and hopes of Chinese presence in Africa. It is for this reason that Chinese Media in Africa: Perception, Performance, and Paradox becomes a must-read
Media Coverage of China-Africa Relations: the Case of the BBC and ETV
2013
The main aim of this study was examining the media coverage of China-Africa relations in light of Framing and Orientalism theories. The study focused on the 21 st 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/news and www.erta.gov.et, respectively. The analysis shows that the BBC and ETV online news stories used South-South cooperation 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 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 deemphasised 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.