Misrepresentation of Africa in the US Media

(Note: This paper was written in the first quarter of 2018–18 March 2018 — as part of a Media and Global Affairs course)

Introduction

“…a bastion of disease, savagery, animism, pestilence, war, famine, despotism, primitivism, poverty, and ubiquitous images of children, flies in their food and faces, their stomachs distended. These “universal” but powerfully subliminal message units, beamed at global television audiences, connote something not good, perennially problematic unworthiness, deplorability, black, foreboding, loathing, sub humanity, etc.”[i]

- Rod Chavis (1998)

In a 2015 Washington Post article titled, “Media portrayals of Africa promote paternalism”, Andy Baker pointed out how American journalists focus on outbreaks of disease, disaster and violence in Africa, paying sparse attention to the region’s political and economic successes. These lopsided views have resulted to “misinformation, stereotyping, validation of white privilege, excessive fear of foreigners and immigrants and even mishandled foreign policy interventions”. These media portrayals give rise to paternalistic views; perceptions of an incapacitated Africa that cannot survive without dependence on the West. It also infuses a defeatist mentality into many African countries and is responsible for the general slow pace of growth and a drive for continuous modernization that do not respect African values.

Mezzana highlighted some recurring mechanisms through which Africa is misrepresented in the media (Beattie et al., 1999; Biney, 1997; Hawk, 1992; Ardesi, 1992; Chavis, 1998). These include among others: agenda setting (choosing to report stories that engender preferred perceptions), decontextualization (reporting facts without historical, social, political, cultural or economic information that could provide a holistic view of the true state of events), an evenemential approach (a high degree of sensationalism when where speaking about Africa only crises, coup d’etats, wars, revolts, famines, epidemics and if possible episodes of cannibalism are reported).[ii]

The medium is the message

Marshall McLuhan studies the media to understand what it is that makes us act the way we do as a way of understanding society itself. In his 1964 publication, “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man”, he argued that whenever methods or media change, the message automatically changes along with them. Hence, the media through which a message is portrayed impacts/ shapes/ alters/ influences /empowers the message and how the message is perceived in such a way that the medium can be viewed as having greater leverage than the content of the medium; “‘the content or message of any particular medium has about the as much importance as the stenciling on the casing of an atomic bomb”.[iii]

Furthermore, each media has a different level of engagement. Print media (Reading) was defined as an exercise in rapid guessing which requires quick decision making. Therefore, it is often the case that the print media involves more critical thinking than visual media; images and videos. Nowadays, with different actors interested in promoting some private agenda, extra care is required when exposed to print media to ensure one is not swayed by propaganda and fake news. Visual and verbal content often have a higher compelling nature associated with them than print/text because it is easier to appeal to emotions and convince individuals into taking some action, positive or negative, on these platforms. Videos are used by terrorists. Radio was used during the Rwandan genocide. There are also videos where Africans are depicted as caricatures. In addition to the misrepresentation, their comic nature makes them memorable and accepted at face value by gullible individuals.

Also, it is possible that a person can also be the medium based on the clout they possess, charisma or eccentricities. For example, there have been statements made by the current President of the United States about Africans living on trees and other statements with a derogatory stint. Although these statements have a comic character, they gather so much distance and we cannot say that they do not subconsciously shape the opinions about Africa by non-Africans who do not see the need to check and confirm these things independently. If these statements were made by someone with less visibility, they would not have reached a larger audience or have the same impact.

Cultural markets and state actors and bots

When Television came on the scene, furniture and physical configuration of households became centered on the new media. The advent of digital media has resulted in a situation where our lives are now rearranged around digital media such that it now has so much influence on us that we have become vulnerable to it. This is made worse by the increase in bots (software robots). According to a 2017 CNBC (Consumer News and Business Channel) study, as many as 48 million Twitter accounts aren’t people but bots.[iv] The creators of these bots send messages out based on their interests and utilize various strategies to mask their activities and ensure that these messages become popular. For example, they mention influential real accounts in their posts to increase their visibility and chance of being shared/retweeted by humans. They also manipulate their URL (Universal Resource Locator) address to create the impression that different posts are being shared. Once bots gain momentum, they recede and let real humans drive the popularity/spread through bandwagon effects; the tendency to share a post that seems to be popular. The rise of bots raises ethical questions: if bots continue to grow uncontrolled, what are the implications for humans, and the value we place on truth, what negative messages and misrepresentations might the creator of bots be putting out there for the unwary consumer living in a fast-paced world with no time for fact finding missions.

Media Literacy in a Fake News Age

“Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale hath had its effect: like a man, who hath thought of a good repartee when the discourse is changed, or the company parted; or like a physician, who hath found out an infallible medicine, after the patient is dead.”

-Jonathan Swift (1720)

Sensational news and micro-targeting increases the chances that people would share disinformation. This is because people are largely looking at headlines and reacting based on how they feel about the headlines or perceived popularity of post. The designers of these digital media offerings maximize this knowledge by using words and colours based on research on individual past activities, target/population characteristics, and other sources of information to design visuals and choose words that increase the possibility of people engaging with their offerings. This is a similar process for marketing; for a real product and a fake. After a while, fake news takes on a life of its own and keeps spreading. There could be intentional or unintentional misrepresentation. Some individuals may stick to their story although they know it is wrong because it helps them achieve their purposes. According to Glenn Kessler from Pinocchio tracker in Washington post, politicians prefer to get the Pinocchio’s (a rating that indicate level of disinformation in their statements) rather than admitting they were wrong. However, for individuals who do not wish to intentionally share disinformation, there is a need to exercise due diligence by considering all contexts and realities, properly defining concepts and what they measure, and using appropriate and unambiguous words not easily prone to misinterpretation.

Free Press in the Traditional Media

According to the map studied during the session, Nigeria was one of the countries at the intersection of press freedom and no press freedom, as are many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Based on personal experience in Nigeria, there might be free press but that does not necessarily translate into effective civil society. They engage in discussions and demonstrations, both peaceful and violent, that only result in required change only on few occasions when backed by more powerful actors. In a similar vein, Africa does not have enough power to halt all the negative visual/things associated with it by the West because of unequal power relations. Attempts to change this narrative result in more victimization, name calling and burn out/fatigue. Some measures of democracy as defined by the West that do not align with African values are tied to financial aid and described as a lack of respect for fundamental human rights. Hence, some African states get victimized and have these conditions forced down their throats by the West. For example; the LBGT rights movement. Africa is like a toothless bull dog against all the assaults/taunts of the West. Our press is like a toothless bull dog against all the actions and inactions of corrupt/unaccountable government.

Stories with social impact

Sharing a story: There is a need for greater collaboration between NGOs and media sources with same interests. From the case study of, “Seafood from Slaves,” Pulitzer Prize-winning Investigation on the seafood chain in Thailand by the Associated Press, 2016, Mary Rajkumar, investigative editor from the Associated press mentioned that it was difficult to get the full spectrum of information from NGOs in Thailand about the issue, hence, it was hard to identify which sources of information was credible and needed to be studied further. Even when acessible, media outfits still need to perform their verification according to best practice by triangulating information received with other sources, and not swayed by appeals to emotion. For example, the case of two children from Myanmar claiming that a dead woman in a picture was their mother, whereas they were told to relay this story by elders from the village who wanted to paint the village in a sympathetic light.

Managing your reputation: The process of managing a crisis such as the ongoing Oxfam scandals mirror the process through which misrepresentations of Africa in the Western media can be tackled. In these scenarios, you decide who would speak for you, what you are going to say, have a consistent messaging across platforms and have a roll out plan of actions indicating what you need to do, why and how. Even as yellow journalism makes situation hard to manage, it is important to stay calm and present an unbiased and balanced view to the public.

Amplifying impact: The importance of grassroots collaboration was demonstrated with crowdsourcing in emergency/disaster response. “Crowdsourcing is the practice of turning to a body of people to obtain needed knowledge, goods or services. The term crowdsourcing is a combination of crowds and outsourcing and was coined in 2006 by Wired magazine author Jeff Howe in his article “The Rise of Crowdsourcing”.[v] Through the rise of social media, various individuals with genuine interests are empowered to help in various ways; “flexibility of who and how”

Conclusion: Who are the gatekeepers today?

While media outlets, traditional and digital, can be encouraged to adopt best practices, so people are not misled by their content or manipulated on their platforms. The onus lies on everyone to pay attention to what the media they listen or expose themselves to and the conclusions they draw from them. Checking for accuracy and balance is an individual responsibility so we are not constantly swayed by propaganda, misinformation and other forms of deceit from the media.

References

Andy Baker. Media portrayals of Africa promote paternalism. The Washington Post. March 5, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/03/05/media-portrayals-of-africa-promote-paternalism/?utm_term=.0d9df09ff90a

Daniele Mezzana. Representations. A cancerous image. https://cyber.harvard.edu/digitaldemocracy/mezzana.htm#

Marshall McLuhan. The Medium is the Message. Chapter 1, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. 1964

Michael Newberg. As many as 48 million Twitter accounts aren’t people, says study. 10 March 2017. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/10/nearly-48-million-twitter-accounts-could-be-bots-says-study.html

Peter J. Schraeder and Brian Endless. The Media and Africa: The Portrayal of Africa in the New York Times (1955–1995). VOLUME XXVI/2 1998. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1548450500005692

Rod Chavis. Africa in the Western Media. Paper presented at the Sixth Annual African Studies Consortium Workshop. University of Pennsylvania. Africa Resources Centre. October 02, 1998. http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Workshop/chavis98.html

Varol O., E Ferrara E., Davis C., Menczer F., and Flammini A. The rise of social bots. Communication of the ACM 59 (7), 96–104. 2018. https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2016/7/204021-the-rise-of-social-bots/fulltext

[i] Rod Chavis. Africa in the Western Media. Paper presented at the Sixth Annual African Studies Consortium Workshop. University of Pennsylvania. Africa Resources Centre. October 02, 1998.

[ii] Daniele Mezzana. Representations. A cancerous image. https://cyber.harvard.edu/digitaldemocracy/mezzana.htm#

[iii] Marshall McLuhan. The Medium is the Message. Chapter 1, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. 1964

[iv] Michael Newberg. As many as 48 million Twitter accounts aren’t people, says study. 10 March 2017. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/10/nearly 48-million-twitter-accounts-could-be-bots-says-study.html

[v] http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/crowdsourcing