Exploring the Attitudes of Journalism Educators to Teach Trauma-Informed Literacy: An Analysis of a Global Survey

Literature notes that most journalists will witness trauma and human suffering during the course of their careers, yet journalism education is lagging behind in preparing students to cope with the effects of exposure to traumatic events. This paper examines the attitudes of journalism educators/trainers toward trauma literacy through a questionnaire survey of 119 journalism educators globally. The findings show that a high percentage of educators have a good understanding of the risks that arise from exposure to critical and potentially traumatizing events but there are some barriers to teaching trauma including lack of knowledge/confidence, resources, time, and teaching material

Representation of Africa online: sourcing practice and frames of reference

The dominant perspective on the representation of Africa in the western media claims that western media coverage is bias and crisis orientated and the liberal perspective claims that the coverage of Africa is not as negative as is often assumed. However, there is a paucity of literature on the representation of Africa online. This research enquiry is relevant because literature claims that the Internet has the potential to resolve the journalistic predicament of representing other culture through political participation and deliberation. But this requires a re-orientation of the sourcing practice of news organization to embrace sensitivity to and knowledge of African cultures. Moreover, the journalistic predicament can be resolved or not depending on the news gathering approach adopted by the news organization. Literature has identified two approaches, that is, ‘gatekeeping’ used mainly by dominant traditional media and ‘gatewatching’ used by alternative media in their quest to counter mainstream ideology. This study examines the impacts of the ‘gatewatching’ approach adopted by Africa Have Your Say (AHYS) website on its representation and frames of reference of Africa. It uses on-site observation, in-depth interviews and textual analysis to gather data. The study found that although the sourcing practice at the AHYS is elaborate and complex, the ‘gatewatching’ approach makes its susceptible to second level agenda setting. Hence, its frame repeats the attributes and tone used by the mainstream traditional media. However, a minority of users did not use repeat this frame in their comments

Factors influencing journalistic roles during COVID-19 pandemic: A study of African diaspora journalists and their media in the United Kingdom and Germany

The challenges of covering COVID-19 have been the focus of scholarly attention since the pandemic was announced by the WHO in 2020. However, we have little understanding of how external and internal factors influenced journalistic role conception from the perspectives of African diaspora journalists. Using journalistic role conception and perceived influence frameworks, this study examines whether what African diaspora journalists in the UK and Germany say about the factors that influenced their journalistic role conception match what they actually do through focus group discussions and content analysis of news stories in two media for and by African diasporas between March 2020 and August 2021. The findings show that five external factors (lockdown restrictions; fake news; effects of Covid 19 in the black communities; economic model and official/non-official sources) and two internal factors (dominant framing of Africa and reorganisation) mostly influenced journalistic role conception during the pandemic and that there was evidence to suggest that what they say they experienced (narrated role) matched what they actually do (practiced role)

The image of Africa from the perspectives of the African diasporic press in the UK

The representation of Africa in the western media remains relatively marginalised compared with other continents in the world. The significance of this should not be underestimated because ‘as globalization and migration continue to encourage the interaction of different peoples and cultures, so the media portrayal of different parts of the world plays an increasingly important role in either discouraging or promoting respect for other cultures’ (Scott, 2009:535). In relation to Africa, scholars have noted that the western media distorts Africa’s image by over-emphasising negative events and employing stereotypes to add colour to the stories. Hence, they urge that ‘recognising voices that challenge stereotypical portrayals is necessary to developing place images that are geographically more accurate’ (Gruley & Duvall, 2012:29). While there is a wealth of literature on the portrayal of Africa in the western media, there is a paucity of research on the image of Africa from the perspectives of the African diasporic press. We need to bridge this hiatus because African diasporas have, in the past two decades, appropriated the new information technology and journalistic professional values to counter the negative and stereotypical portrayal of Africa in the western media and to portray another view of Africa to ‘friends of Africa’ and to the diasporas themselves, some of whom are second and third generations who have never visited Africa, and for whom the media is their main ‘window’ on Africa. Using a case study of the African Voice, a weekly newspaper published in Brixton, London, the chapter examines whether the newspaper projects an alternative image of Africa by subverting the dominant portrayal of Africa in the western media. Textual analysis was adopted to identify the framing devices used to counter the dominant portrayal and to provide alternative perspectives and to determine the extent of source diversity in African stories. And an interview was conducted with the editor to explore the newspaper’s agenda regarding the projection of Africa’s image and how newsroom resources are deployed to achieve them. The findings give us an insight into whether the newspaper contributes to shaping Africa’s image through a better balance than the western press

The outsiders looking in!: EU and diaspora journalists’ reflections on journalistic roles in British press coverage of the EU Referendum

 Scholarly research into journalists as a subject of study is increasing. Through this, scholars found there is no consensus among journalists about journalistic practice. This is because journalistic roles are discursively recreated, reinterpreted, appropriated, and contested. The coverage of the EU referendum in the UK provides an opportunity to further explore journalistic roles through a focus group of EU and diaspora journalists and academics. The study reveals that participants were critical of the roles played by the British press in the coverage of the referendum and that they were concerned about its effects on their physical and emotional well-being. Hence, they urge media organisations to offer support and training to redress these concerns. In conclusion, the study provides an in-depth and intense probing of journalistic roles and their eff ects in relation to the coverage of the EU referendum. Scholarly research into journalists as a subject of study is increasing. Through this, scholars found there is no consensus among journalists about journalistic practice. This is because journalistic roles are discursively recreated, reinterpreted, appropriated, and contested. The coverage of the EU referendum in the UK provides an opportunity to further explore journalistic roles through a focus group of EU and diaspora journalists and academics. The study reveals that participants were critical of the roles played by the British press in the coverage of the referendum and that they were concerned about its effects on their physical and emotional well-being. Hence, they urge media organisations to offer support and training to redress these concerns. In conclusion, the study provides an in-depth and intense probing of journalistic roles and their eff ects in relation to the coverage of the EU referendum

The black popular press: challenges and prospects in the UK

This paper explores what ‘black popular’ might mean within the context of cultural diversity and representation in contemporary Britain using African Voice, a specialist newspaper directed at the African diasporas as a case study. The African Voice was established to redress the limited representation and visual invisibility of the African diasporas in the mainstream press. The paper examines how the newspaper embraces the worldview of its readers; how it contributes to the process and product of popular culture; how it resists blurring the public and private divide; and how it manifests readers’ views. An extended interview with the editor of African Voice provided qualitative data and the content of the newspaper was analysed to yield quantitative dat

Challenges and prospects of delivering a diversity of public service content online: A case study of Channel 4 News Online

Britain is “super-diverse” and public service broadcasters PSBs, as in many other European countries, are expected to reflect the duality of single identities and conflicted allegiance in the design and delivery of public service content. However, previous studies have consistently found that minority groups are under-represented and negatively stereotyped in the mainstream media. But the advent of new technology provides opportunities to expand programming to be more inclusive of the interests and tastes of minority groups. However, the introduction of new technology into the newsroom also presents challenges for journalists in their traditional role as gatekeepers and for the diversity of public service content online. Hence, this study collates data through an ethnographic study of the newsroom at Channel 4 News Online and in-depth interviews with the deputy News Editor, Programme Editor Online and presenters; and also conducts an analysis of the website for evidence of the diversity of public service content online. It found that the news team expands the range of information via blogs and special reports. And that they interact with users by moderating audience materials and incorporating audience comments in their news report. The implication of these on newsroom practice is that the gatekeeping and agenda setting roles are tempered with network journalism to enhance the diversity of public service content online. Britain is “super-diverse” and public service broadcasters PSBs, as in many other European countries, are expected to reflect the duality of single identities and conflicted allegiance in the design and delivery of public service content. However, previous studies have consistently found that minority groups are under-represented and negatively stereotyped in the mainstream media. But the advent of new technology provides opportunities to expand programming to be more inclusive of the interests and tastes of minority groups. However, the introduction of new technology into the newsroom also presents challenges for journalists in their traditional role as gatekeepers and for the diversity of public service content online. Hence, this study collates data through an ethnographic study of the newsroom at Channel 4 News Online and in-depth interviews with the deputy News Editor, Programme Editor Online and presenters; and also conducts an analysis of the website for evidence of the diversity of public service content online. It found that the news team expands the range of information via blogs and special reports. And that they interact with users by moderating audience materials and incorporating audience comments in their news report. The implication of these on newsroom practice is that the gatekeeping and agenda setting roles are tempered with network journalism to enhance the diversity of public service content online.&nbsp

The impact of ethnocentric news values on the framing of Africa: a case study of African diasporic press in the United Kingdom

Studies have consistently found that Western media negatively stereotype Africa. This was attributed to bias, but another perspective links it to ethnocentrism, which perpetuates the marginalisation and exclusion of minority and diasporic groups from the public sphere. This study examined the news content in and editorial perception of the five values that define professional journalism at African diasporic presses, for evidence of ethnocentrism. It found that the Nigerian Watch newspaper provides counter-stereotypical information and redefines African narratives from ethnocentric viewpoints. Paradoxically, it marginalises the mainstream group as sources and readers, while the public sphere is saturated with media fostering community cohesion among the in-group, rather than cross-cultural communication across racial divides

The implications of taboos among African diasporas for the African press in the United Kingdom

The increased population of African diasporas in the United Kingdom, recently estimated at 618,000, is making them more culturally and linguistically visible than they used to be in the political and socioeconomic landscapes. It has also stimulated the proliferation of particularistic media representing their interests. However, little is known about the effects of their cultural values on the treatment of some issues in the public sphere. This article explores the relevance of taboos among African diasporas and their implications for the African press. A questionnaire was created as an instrument of collecting data about taboo subjects and preferred treatment of these subjects in the press. Furthermore, an interview was conducted with the editor of the African Voice to reflect on some of the issues emanating from the data, and a content analysis of selected taboo themes covered by the newspaper was performed

Building Resilience through Trauma Literacy in Journalism Schools

Publications on the emotional/psychological challenges of doing journalism have appeared in the field of psychology for the past two decades, but there is a lack of studies that stretch the analysis to the role of j-schools and journalism educators in addressing the lack of trauma literacy teaching. This chapter explores what educators can do to help students cope with trauma that they are likely to experience during their studies and in their future practice. The chapter is based on semi-structured interviews with 20 journalism educators from 13 different countries who talk candidly about the challenges they face in the classroom, “gung-ho macho mentality”, helping students deal with grief and shock in real life situations, and being mindful of their mental health. It explores their own ups and downs in teaching difficult/sensitive topics that can trigger a wide range of emotional responses in students but also bring back memories and experiences from their own professional practice as former journalists