African Media and ICT4D: Documentary Evidence

From the Introduction

This study is aimed at encouraging journalism and coverage of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) and Information Society issues. It reviews the coverage of ICT issues in African media, and identifies areas of weakness.

Conclusions of the survey include:

• There is lack of critical analysis in ICT reporting: the views of influential spokesmen are almost never challenged by the media;
• Stories are seldom followed up, the newsrooms seem to wait for the next press release, ministerial announcement, or company cocktail party launching a new product. So the unfolding story of ICT developments in any one country is largely absent;
• The voice of the people is absent: the average citizen would not be able to identify personally with most ICT stories encountered in this study. They are largely impersonal, and deal with government issues, large organisations, big companies, or large sums of money;
• Rural ICT projects are seldom or never reported: most stories are generated in the capital city and other urban areas;
• There is silence on ICT policy and WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society);
• Editors are uninformed on implications of information society developments;
• Journalists lack knowledge on information society developments;
• Newsrooms lack connectivity: many newsrooms have no Internet access at all. It is often the case that newsroom journalists have no real skills in online information retrieval, or in evaluating information found online;
• There is poor NGO media liaison;
• There are too few women in ICT journalism.

The report recommends:

• A series of expert "awareness" workshops should be held for editors;
• Training and networking of journalists and other media workers;
• Online ICT courses for those teaching journalism skills;
• News exchanges for ICT stories, with an archive of older stories;
• Creating an African information society debate journal;
• NGOs need to learn how to get their stories into the media;
• They need to build realistic communication and media liaison strategies into projects;
• Creation of ICT-related journalism awards.