Western reporting of Africa comes under fire
New African monthly devoted its cover story to an analysis by its editor, Baffour Ankomah, a veteran Ghana-born columnist and editor. The magazine asked "How many times, as an African, have you watched a Western TV report about your country, shaken your head in disgust and exclaimed: "But my country is definitely more than that, it's not just slums! Why can't they show the positive side as well?"
Ankomah said recent coverage of elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe raised questions about the motives of the western media. Why did they largely ignore the Nigeria and Sierra Leone elections, for instance. And why when they deplored Robert Mugabe's 28-year reign in Zimbabwe did they seldom tackle the continent's longer-ruling presidents such as Omar Bongo in Gabon (41 years), Muammar Ghadafi of Libya (39 years) or Obiang Nguema Mbasongo of Equatorial Guinea (29 years)?
Why had Mugabe become "the bete-noir of the western media and rest are seldom talked about?"
In explanation, Ankomah recalled Blair's attack on the media as "feral beasts" in a farewell speech as British leader last year and his conclusion that "it is rare today to find balance in the media."
Ankomah said the western media had always followed these core beliefs: "follow the flag or government lead in foreign policy matters; objectivity and balance end where national interest begins; ideological leaning determines the size and play of domestic reporting; advertisers (and, to some extent, readers) pull the strings from behind the scenes; historical baggage, political and economic interests determine the reporting of Africa and other foreign lands."
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