Data journalism beyond majority world countries:Challenges and opportunities

© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This commentary reflects on the state of research on data journalism and discusses future directions for this line of work. Drawing on theory in international development and postcolonial studies, we discuss three critical pitfalls that we encourage future scholarship in this area to avoid. These include using a linear model of progress, in which journalists in Majority World nations struggle to ‘catch up’ to their Minority World counterparts because of the ‘obstacles’ they face; reproducing a simplistic split between the ‘West and the Rest’, thus missing the complex interaction of structures operating at different levels; and failing to examine journalistic agency due to an overemphasis on the technical structuring of the ‘tools’ used in data journalism. We also encourage scholars to engage in more comparative work rather than single case studies; increase dialogic communication between scholarship produced in, or about, different parts of the world; and incorporate more diverse methodologies with the aim of building theory. More broadly, we advocate for greater critical reflection upon—if not the challenging of—our dominant modes of thought in order to build more nuanced frameworks for explaining the complex causes, and potentially mixed effects, of data journalism around the world

Journalism Educators, Regulatory Realities, and Pedagogical Predicaments of the “Fake News” Era: A Comparative Perspective on the Middle East and Africa

© AEJMC 2019. From diplomatic spats between Qatar and Saudi Arabia to ubiquitous deceptive “news” updates purportedly sent by the Eritrean government urging all men to marry two wives or risk imprisonment, the future of fact-based reporting appears uncertain as mass media recipients world over become accustomed to consuming “fake news.” Despite the exponential expansion of journalism educators in the Middle East and Africa, several curriculums in these regions have been struggling to cope with the rising dominance of the “fake news” movement. Both regions have a well-documented appetite for conspiracy theories and indeed the power of disinformation and propaganda, which seem to have gathered steam in the wake of deliberate dissemination of hoaxes or sensationalist stories predominantly distributed via social media platforms, potentially posing a threat to the credibility of journalism. This article provides an updated state of affairs on the expansion of “fake news” in the Middle East and Africa arguing after an explorative examination of 10 journalism curriculums that educators need to focus on local contexts when preparing journalism modules. Although it is important to discuss global trends, developments, controversies, debates, and discussions involving the “fake news” movement, we think future journalists from both regions would benefit from media literacy courses that identify the difference between fact and fiction in relation to their own contexts. This is relevant because current pedagogical approaches appear influenced by developments abroad especially in these countries’ past colonial masters

Reconnoitering the role of (citizen) journalism ethics in the emerging networked public sphere

Citizen journalism is emerging as a powerful phenomenon across Africa. The rise of digitally networked technologies is reshaping reporting across the continent. This change is technological (with social media platforms enabling new forms of publishing, receiving and discussing stories) as well as cultural, with idiosyncratic conventions emerging on these platforms. This study surveys the ethical beliefs of citizen journalists in several sub-Saharan African countries. The research showed that they are driven by a sense of social responsibility and a wish to inform their readers and the general public. Citizen journalists show a clear anti-authoritarian strain and an antipathy towards government regulation, yet most see themselves as subject to the same ethics that guide traditional journalism

Balancing tradition with new norms: The case of online newsmaking at the SABC

Scholarship on the impact specific digital technologies have on the practice of journalism from the different media contexts in Africa paints many interesting, yet varied pictures. It is evident that the specific levels of impact are subject to contextual nuances. Public broadcasting remains a crucial media player in many parts of the continent, and that is most often subject to significant influences from the local political, technological and sociocultural environment. This article explores how online newsmaking practices and formats at the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) ' one of Africa's foremost public broadcasters ' are shaped by the identified local factors. Employing a mix of key informant interviews and content analyses, the findings reveal that there is quite a strong traditional element to the online news production process, shaped by dominant old broadcasting routines and structures. That said, the online news team is increasingly being challenged to work with converged skillsets, innovative tools, and evolving mindsets that are shaped by distinctive digital influences. The study suggests that such an arrangement, while allowing newsmakers in this domain to meet the demands of the local media environment, does limit their ability to harness the full potentials of the digital platform