My concern about the role of the media in improving investor perceptions is not entirely about whether the reporting is stereotypical or factual. It is not even about what gets reported; it is largely on how it is reported and who reports it. In my view, there is a global conspiracy by western media to portray Africa in bad light. Every country and every continent has its share of bad happenings but the bad happenings outside Africa are often treated as normal occurrences, while those in one ...read more
My concern about the role of the media in improving investor perceptions is not entirely about whether the reporting is stereotypical or factual. It is not even about what gets reported; it is largely on how it is reported and who reports it. In my view, there is a global conspiracy by western media to portray Africa in bad light. Every country and every continent has its share of bad happenings but the bad happenings outside Africa are often treated as normal occurrences, while those in one or two African countries - sometimes triggered by past colonial history - are seen as horrific and reflective of the state of the whole continent. To make the situation worse, some African media have fallen into the same trap. This media thinks that western style negative reporting on Africa is the measure of maturity in journalism.
