Description:
Africa's Media Image in the 21st Century is the first book in over twenty years to examine the international news coverage of Africa. It brings together leading researchers and prominent journalists to explore the current state of news coverage of the continent and its people. The book makes a substantial contribution by moving the academic discussion beyond the traditional critiques of journalistic stereotyping, Afro-pessimism, and 'dark Africa' news coverage, and by exploring the international power dynamics, and the structures and technologies of global news production which shape and reshape the contemporary media image of Africa.
Review Quotes:
"Mel Bunce, Suzanne Franks and Chris Paterson have assembled the single most important collection of analyses of African media and image in at least a quarter of a century. In practically all respects this volume goes beyond previous, mainly 20th century, northern-centered ways of framing and thinking about Africa's media image and, in their place, carries us well into the 21st century. This is a post-'Africa pessimism' century of African and international narratives of Africa. These are told through an astonishing variety of perspectives, technologies and media platforms. Their audience includes a robust, continent-wide and technology-empowered middle-class. Processes of imperialism and neo-imperialism have not disappeared. But the agents, trajectories and meanings of imperialism are opened to re-assessment."
Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Professor Emeritus, Bowling Green State University, Ohio and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
"This is an excellent book which fills a crucial gap in existing literature. It has a wide range of contributors offering key insights and analysis - a must read for students and academics in development studies as well as those in media and international journalism."
Gregory Philo, Professor of Communications and Social Change, University of Glasgow