An analysis of international news in Malawi newspapers

Emmanuel Kondowe

An analysis of international news in Malawi newspapers

2009

Abstract

The study used quantitative content analysis to compare the international news content about Africa and the rest of the world in selected daily and weekly newspapers in Malawi and explored the extent to which economic factors, as represented by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), influence news flows about Africa into Malawi. The results showed dominance of the categories of war/international conflict and politics. International news agencies were the principal sources of news items for all the four papers. Though there were differences among the newspapers in the amount of space allocated to various categories such differences were minor. The study established that GDP is not a determinant of the amount of coverage a country receives. KEY TERMS Malawi newspapers, quantitative content analysis, NWICO, international news, news values, international media dependency, world system. 3.10.5 .10 Other This category included all news items that could not be placed into any of the categories identified above. The news items that were placed in this category in the current study were about religion and sports. 3.11 NUMBER OF NEWS ITEMS

Information is power and the most critically sought commodity in today’s world. Those that control the information are usually seemed to be the most powerful in our contemporary society. Therefore, for the past thirty years, there has been a controversy resulting from accusation and counter accusation of imbalance flow of information from the west to south. The purported victims which are the developing nations have been raging bitterly over the news coverage of events in their continent and have denounced western newspapers, journals, and television outlets for their alleged sensationalism and anti-development bias (Legum & Cornwell, 1978). Due to this controversy, on several accounts, developing nations have attempted to engage the western nations through different channels to address the issue of global information inequality. One that may readily come to mind is the UNESCO meetings in 1969 (Sean , Elie, Sergei , & Somavia, 1980), 1974 (Mowlana, 1985), 1976 (Bandopadhyay, 2006) and 1980 (Tokunbo, 2000) consecutively, where the UNESCO group of experts on mass communication and society noted in its disturbing but revealing report that: What has come to be known as the free flow of information at the present time is often in fact a one way rather than a true exchange of information. In retaliation, western world has equally charged the developing world of seeking to obstruct the free flow of information and insist to make no change in the information flow which they regard as a threat to the freedom to report, to print, and to broadcast news (Legum & Cornwell, 1978). This charge and counter-charge is far from abating and in fact is gathering momentum as it persists in many developing countries as they are well aware of the value of information in speeding material development and in maintaining power. In this paper however, the author will be discussing the developing world perception of new world information order, seeking to find what changes they expect from it. The essay will also attempt to identify the positions taken by these disputants by closely looking at the exchange of charges and counter-charges between those demanding balance in the news and those demanding journalistic freedom. And finally we will explore the issues underlying the dispute and attempt to proffer solutions where necessary.

Coverage of African countries in African media not only serves to inform readers what is happening on the continent but may also shape perspectives about the continent and countries therein. In order to explore the coverage of African countries as it appeared in African media and editors’ views on the coverage, Africa No Filter (ANF) commissioned this research. The research took a three-pronged approach: media was selected and reviewed from 15 countries and the editors of these publications surveyed for their opinions on how African countries cover other African countries. The publications were drawn from all regions: North, Southern, West, Central and East Africa. In total, 56 media were included in these components of the study – the most influential media in each country. These quantitative methods were complemented by focus groups with editors, journalists and foreign correspondents from Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, The focus groups sought to help understand which African stories – negative and positive – are prioritised by editors, how story frames are used and what ideas could help shift narratives. In total, 25 people participated in focus groups. The review found that coverage of African countries was poor in terms of overall numbers. A closer look reveals some countries’ media include great amounts of stories and others almost none. In addition, there were also variances in terms of the levels of detailed, contextualised coverage. Coverage also tended to be of a small number of countries, and many countries did not feature at all in the media of other African countries. What coverage there was tended to evolve around a few events rather than exploring issues in depth. Stories covering Africa as a whole was the most common scope of a story, with coverage of trade and economics, agreements and events. In covering African countries, conflicts and disputes under topics such as elections, politics, crime, conflicts and protests not only predominate, but are also considered more newsworthy by editors. In the study, coverage of some countries were mostly or all related to events, such as elections in Guinea and Tanzania and protests in Nigeria. In contrast, stories about South Africa and Egypt were more diverse in their focus. Editors and journalists interviewed in groups and surveyed acknowledged that there were stereotypes in their own and other African media’s coverage. They cited scarce resources as the biggest challenge to cover Africa more extensively (92%of the editors surveyed). There is a desire among the editors to cover African countries (87% of the editors surveyed said it was important or very important to cover African stories). Editors and journalists in response to the survey and during focus group discussions also recognised the need for more nuanced coverage, but the available funding dictated that they use stories by western agencies, which often are in line with the expectations of western audiences, to cover stories from Africa. In fact, agencies account for almost half (43%) of the stories about African countries in the media review. Only 19% of the agency stories in the sample size were from agencies based in Africa. This means that it is often non-Africans who set the agenda or offer perspectives on African affairs and events. Solutions suggested by the research findings from the three sources include creating more awareness of the poor coverage and the need for commitment to better stories. In order to address the lack of resources, investment would need to be made into diverse, nuanced coverage. Furthermore, networks of editors and journalists could function to pool stories and multimedia for use in different publications, in this way, more countries would be covered.

This study investigated the political role of the Weekend Nation newspaper in the democratisation of Malawi between 2002 and 2012 within the context of its foundational and ownership structures by a politician. Bearing in mind that the newspaper was founded by a politician belonging to the first democratically elected ruling party, the United Democratic Front (UDF), this research sought to examine the impact of media ownership on the political role of the Weekend Nation's journalistic practices in Malawi's democratisation. Between 2002 and 2012, Malawi was governed by three presidents-Bakili Muluzi of the UDF from 1994 to 2004, Bingu wa Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from 2004 to 2012, and Joyce Banda of the People's Party (PP) from 2012 to 2014-all of whom were hostile to the Weekend Nation. Taking into cognisance the ownership of the Weekend Nation by a politician, the critical political economy theory of the media was deemed to be the most appropriate theoretical framework for this study. In media research, the critical political economy theory asserts that owners are able to regulate the output of the media institution either by intervening in the day-today operations, or by establishing general goals and understandings and appointing managerial and editorial staff to implement them within the constraints set by the overall allocation of resources. The study employed a qualitative research methodology, in particular in-depth interviews and qualitative content analysis. Research findings indicate that overall, the political ownership of the newspaper had no direct bearing on the journalists' political role in the enhancement of democracy and good governance in Malawi. It established that despite the ownership of the Weekend Nation belonging to a prominent and influential politician, the editorial independence was not compromised. Contrary to general expectations, this study established that the Weekend Nation in Malawi, was critical to the political elite in an indiscriminate manner. Although it was not the focus of this study, the research also showed that market forces, in line with the stance taken by the critical political economy theory, had some impact on the Weekend Nation's editorial independence. The quest for more advertising revenue, to an extent, undermined the struggle for complete editorial independence. I give thanks to God Almighty, all the angels and saints for the grace and enrichment in my career. Words fail me to express sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Simphiwe Sesanti, whose scholarly guidance, motivation and leadership enabled me to travel through the academic journey with a vision. I also wish to thank most sincerely Professor Lizette Rabe and Dr. Gabriël Botma of the Stellenbosch University's Journalism Department, from whose insights I benefited greatly. I would also like to thank Mrs. Elizabeth Newman and Mrs. Lijuan Daniels who made my stay in the department very pleasant. For Elizabeth in particular, I am also grateful for the consolidation of our spiritual beliefs through the Stellenbosch Roman Catholic Parish, which was an important aspect during my research and beyond. My research would not have been possible without the financial support of the University of Stellenbosch's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' Graduate School which awarded me a full-time scholarship to pursue my dream and for that I am greatly indebted. I also thank the University of Malawi's Chancellor College for the gesture of a fully-paid leave throughout my studies. A special thanks to the Nation Publications Limited (NPL) management: CEO Mbumba Achuthan, Deputy CEO Alfred Mtonga, and former Managing Editor, late Edward Chitsulo for granting me access to their organisation, including all the former and present Weekend Nation journalists who took part in this study. The NPL library team was marvellous during the months I and my research assistant, Francis "Fra" Xavier Mpanga, spent there. "Fra", your contribution deserves special recognition. For staff of the Society of Malawi library in Blantyre, Chancellor College library and the National Archives in Zomba, Malawi, I express my sincere thanks for your support. I am also grateful to the Stellenbosch Journalism departmental colleagues in research, Adrian Stewart, Mphatisi Ndhlovu, Sibongile Mpofu, Irene Wamae, Marenet Jordaan and Nabila Hatimy as well as John Bosco Isunju from the Faculty of Science for their friendship and scholarly support. Finally, my profound gratitude goes to my family, specifically my mother for her tireless motherly and grandmotherly love and care. I also thank my wife Prisca, my children Sipho and Brianna who had to endure three years of my absence, my siblings Mwayi, Mtisunge, Chikondi, Khuma and Mwatitha as well as the Gunde and Mpanga clans for their moral support and words of encouragement in the course of my studies.

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An analysis of international news in Malawi newspapers

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