Challenges to developing Africa's media

The survey, born out of the 2005 Commission of Africa and published by the BBC World Service Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, also cites the insufficiency of media training institutions, media practitioners' low salaries, inadequate funding and governments' muzzling of the media as key barriers to press development.

Survey welcomed

Reacting to the findings, Lumko Mtimde, CEO of Media Diversity and Development Agency (MDDA), told Bizcommunity.com: “We welcome the survey's outcomes and hope that they will assist all of us in our pursuit to ensure the development of media and its diversity in the South African context.”

Elaborating on the abovementioned challenges, Zakeus Chibaya, secretary-general of Cross-border Association of Journalists (CAJ), said: “The biggest challenge is the lack of press freedom, something that forces us to live in fear of reporting the truth.

“Secondly, the lack of equipment and infrastructures and proper skills (computers, adequate newsrooms, landlines, fax machines, Internet connection, IT illiteracy, writing and interview skills and so on) is hampering many of our colleagues' efforts to carry their duties.”

It has been established that in certain African countries, some journalists not only lack computer skills – because there are no computers – but also still rely on old typing machines to shape up their stories. Furthermore, some people entrusted to run newsrooms are not qualified enough to do that job, do not even have media backgrounds and lack leadership skills, Chibaya remarked.

Not appointed on merit

In many cases, it has emerged that these ‘news editors' were appointed not on merit, but through affirmative action, racial quotas, and political and nepotistic connections.

“But the most worrying problem is low pay,” Chibaya said, adding that it is increasingly becoming a major cause of frustration for reporters. In many parts of Africa, hungry, underpaid and demoralised journalists walk longer distances under the scorching sun and sometimes driving rain to cover stories.

“This state of poverty and low morale leaves them vulnerable to corruption and ‘ready to do whatever it takes' to survive,” he said emotionally.

This then brings the question of ethics into the picture. According to the Wits University School of Journalism website, www.journalism.co.za, ethics are fundamental to the credibility of journalism. If audiences are to trust what journalists do, the website adds, then they need to believe that they behave in a predictably honourable manner.

Hungry stomach

“Unfortunately, a hungry stomach does not care about ethics,” one visiting journalist from Central Africa told Bizcommunity.com. “It is either you stick with these ethics and die a poor chap or side with the government and other crooked business people [embedded] and see the light at the end of the tunnel,” the reporter, who asked not be identified, said.

Certain local journalists interviewed by Bizcommunity.com said they plan to quit ‘soon' or some time ‘next year' to join the private sector or government to avoid a penniless death.

Wary of these challenges, many observers are now calling for a sustainable and consistent funding for media in Africa. Speaking at the survey's launch, Stephen King, director of the BBC World Service Trust, said: “Media development support needs consistent priority. Aid flows needs to be higher and committed for longer, and innovative strategies need to be employed to make sure that the media sector is sustainable.

“The AMDI study provides an invaluable set of insights on the media landscape in sub-Saharan Africa and tells us that the sector is weak, but there are grounds for optimism,” King said.

Industry commitment

MDDA's Mtimde echoed King's sentiments. “Yes, questions of funding, remuneration, over and above skills are challenges to the integrity, growth and sustainability of our media enterprises. It is against this background that media diversity and development require a commitment from all us in the industry,” Mtimde said.

“It is very important for any democracy to support skills development of its media practitioners in order to have media that is professional, ethical and adherent to general standards. This challenge is even more important today as convergence of technologies provide new opportunities for media,” Mtimde added.

He hinted that government-media relationship should be a necessary mechanism to ensure not only society's growth and development, but also to build a participatory, open-minded and well-informed community.

Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen in Africa, a continent dogged by state corruption, economic mismanagement, abuse of power, armed conflicts – mostly fought over control of economic resources – and dictatorship. African politicians just hate independent media, which they are accuse of being ‘unpatriotic', ‘capitalist triggers', ‘Eurocentric organisations with colonial mindsets', and all that jazz.

Love-hate relationship

Given this love-hate relationship, no independent media is willing to accept funding from government or crooked business people, afraid that these ill-intentioned donors resort to blackmail to force it into becoming one of their players.

For now though, African independent media's struggle continues. It should prepare for war if it wants peace!

For more information about the survey, email Thandi Dyani at . For more details about the MDDA, visit www.mdda.org.za or email at .