Does YouTube Change Africa’s Image?

Famine, war, disasters, ethnic violence.

The dominant images of Africa produced by mainstream news media have been predictable and well-documented over the years. With the arrival of social media that allow anyone with an Internet connection the ability to share their photos and videos, I wondered if those images had changed.  So, I analyzed YouTube videos focused on Kenya and Ghana.

The results were published this month in the International Communication Gazette, in my article, “Africa on YouTube: Musicians, Tourists, Missionaries, and Aid Workers.“

The good news:

• African countries are not represented as chaotic and violent as has often been the case in the past.  The images are more likely to be positive or at least neutral.  (Unless they are produced by news outlets.)
• For those looking for more in-depth examinations of serious issues, NGOs producing news style videos are sharing their work via YouTube.

The bad news:

• Stereotypes continue, with an emphasis in the case of Kenya, on depicting the country as home to big game animals but not any actual humans.
• Westerners post the majority of videos about Kenya and Ghana, probably reflecting the low Internet access rates in both countries.
• Africans unaccompanied by Westerners are most likely to appear in entertainment, especially music, videos. The music videos are quite derivative of Western styles including their exploitation of women.

American media won’t report it? The British will

True during Bush admin, true during Obama’s reign.   Douglas Bicket and I document this phenom repeatedly such as with the Downing Street Memos , which revealed Bush decided to overthrow Saddam then cooked up a war to do so.  The US media tried to discredit or even ignore the documents when the British news media went public with them.  Our research has focused on the Iraq war during Bush’s time in office, but there’s no reason to believe there would be any change in the dynamic we identify in which Americans turn to the British media when they think they are not getting the complete story.

This time White House spokesman Robert Gibbs attacked the British newspaper the Telegraph for quoting a US general involved in investigating the Abu Ghraib torture photos, a set of  which the Obama admin is trying to stop the release of.   Major General Antonio Taguba told a conservative Telegraph contributor that some photos showed rape, then he later said he was misquoted, and that the photos being suppressed didn’t show rape.  (But admitted that other photos he reviewed did show it!)   Nile Gardiner, the rightwing pundit in question, wrote:

The British press, especially the Telegraph, has been singled out because they frequently publish articles critical of the Obama administration and are not afraid to take on the status quo in Washington. Increasingly, millions of Americans are turning to online UK news websites for cutting edge reports on American politics and U.S. foreign policy that the mainstream media refuses to cover in the States, especially if it is unflattering to the Obama White House.

While our research shows that conservatives such as Gardiner, who is affiliated with the Heritage Foundation, denigrated the British media when it revealed information the US media was slow to report about the Bush admin’s actions, don’t be surprised to hear them change their tune now that a Democrat is in office.

The takeaway is not about Bush or Obama but about global access to news accounts that differ from the preferred frames the legacy media in this country are used to serving up.

BBC = Alternative News in America

Are you an American looking for international news?  For journalism whose ancestry is public service and not greedy corporations who run their industry into the ground? Then you’ll likely see where Dougie Bicket and I are coming from in our hot-off-the-academic presses (academic and hot, an oxymoron?)  article, BBC News in the U.S.: A “Super-Alternative” News Medium Emerges, just published in Media, Culture & Society.

We argue that a powerful hybrid BBC is emerging in the United States, which is

• Serving as a ’super-alternative’ news/information source
• Carrying an aura of credibility that sets it apart from much US mainstream news
• Holding a reputation for honesty and integrity
• Working independently from US political forces

It’s an attractive package for many US news consumers and, potentially, a powerful combination for influencing US public opinion.

Future journos: Promote yourself

As the competition for scoring journalism gigs soars, a panel of experts at CSUN today advised student journalists to use social networking to promote their work and to have a Plan B.

Liz Ohanesian,  a freelancer for the LA Weekly who specializes in pop culture, music, and LA

See austinevan's original photo here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinevan/3259931677/

subcultures,  advised:

• Go to online forums and chat.  It’s a good way to meet editors and writers and also to find sources.
• Have a good profile on Facebook, your blog, etc. that reflects your interests and includes links to your clips.
• As soon as your story comes out, make sure everyone instantly knows about it via your social networks.
• Respond to your audience – reTweet their posts, reply to comments on your blog,  link to them, etc.

You can find examples of how Liz does this on her pages at MySpace and Facebook as well as her Twitter page and BlipTV site.

Greg Lanier, TV drama writer, freelancer and former long-time print journalist, recommended students consider graduate school for the next couple of years until the economy perks up.   He suggested students have a Plan B and maybe Plans C (“something  to do with writing”), & D (“loading trucks”) as well.

Novelist and former journalist Paula Yoo, who likened the students to Hobbits rallying to save journalism’s future, recommended traditional networking with groups such as the Asian American Journalists Association.

No matter what the future of the journalism industry is, Lanier reminded students that for each of them, “You have to scratch and claw to make your own destiny.”

Iran & Iranian Women Panel on KPFK

One of the most important civil rights movements in the world today is going on in Iran where women, especially those under 30, are calling for gender equality.  They are being imprisoned, fined, harassed and banned from leaving their country.

Photo by H de C http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en

A Cal State Northridge Journalism Department’s panel discussion about this topic also revealed that:

• CSUN MA student Esha Momeni, who was imprisoned in Iran and has not been allowed to leave for more than 100 days, did not find feminism in the West as the news media have reported . She found it in Iran.
• The website for one of the key women’s rights groups, Campaign for Equality, has been blocked by the Iranian government 19 times.

Hear this and more from  Roja Bandari of the One Million Signature Campaign talking about the status of Iranian women and their Campaign for Equality Audio only:

Video of her talk, Part 1:

Part 2:

Also hear from Ariel Vegosen and Rae Abileah of CodePink who discuss citizen diplomacy, common misconceptions about Iran and their trip to that country as part of an interfaith dialogue.  They note:

• Only 500 Americans travel to Iran every year.
• Although the US is demanding Iran not have access to nukes, the American government introduced nuclear power to Iran under the Shah.

Audio: