MISREPRESENTATION OF AFRICA IN BROADCASTING MEDIA

ABSTRACT

The broad objective of this study focused on misrepresentation of Africa in broadcasting media using National Television Authority, FCT, Abuja. As case study. The study further  establish  the extent Africa is  misrepresented  in broadcasting media, ascertain whether NTA in their broadcasting contributes to this Africa misrepresentation, whether broadcasting journalists  appears bias in reporting events in Africa as well whether NTA  media framing  is an intentional effort to depict the Africa in an unfavorable light. Survey research design was employed for the study and with aid of convenient sampling thirty-five (35) presenters and journalist National Television Authority, FCT, Abuja. was selected as the participant of the study. The sources of data collection was both primary and secondary with the application of questionnaires as an instrument to gather the necessary data. The questionnaires were properly completed as well  returned  by only 30 respondent after being administered. Data was analyzed using simple percentage presented in frequencies and tables. From the analysis of the study, findings reveals that the extent Africa is  misrepresented  in broadcasting media is high; National Television Authority  in their broadcasting contributes to this Africa misrepresentation; Broadcasting journalists  appears to be  bias sometime while  reporting events in Africa; National Television Authority  media framing  is not an intentional effort to depict the Africa in an unfavorable light. The researcher therefore concludes that African broadcast media should step up their efforts about projecting Africa to the rest of the world. Local content in broadcast programming should be given due attention as a matter of policy and practice. Africa should realise that its media owe it a duty to blow its trumpet to address negative framing of its people and societies. More so, There is a need for concerted efforts by the advanced countries to assist in developing communication infrastructure in African countries. They should offer assistance not only in  fighting poverty and diseases in Africa but also in the areas of technology and training. This would assist Africa to attain sefl-reliance and empower the broadcast industry to project the continent to the world in true lights.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

The mass media-radio, television, newspaper and magazine reach large numbers of people through communication and entertainment, and have been found as a useful tool for influencing the public. Information network allow private individuals to get information and to communicate directly with one another (Schiller, 199:186).

Although mass media especially the broadcast media have a distinct presence in our homes today-providing us with a wealth of information on a multitude of channels-they are equally well especially well established as parts of the social structures and world of values around us.The broadcast media have become probably the most important social institution in the construction and circulation of information in any modern society. The broadcast media permeate our daily lives. They serve as the main source of information concerning our social, cultural and political processes. Also, they are veritable reservior of image suggestions concerning modes of self preservation and general life styles. Media scientists have often discussed how much influence the media has on people’s opinions, behavior and attitude. People tend to selectively read what they already agree with and to rationalize their preferred opinions in the face of contrary arguments. Experimental evidence seems to indication that the mass media have little power to change people’s opinions on issues for which they already have formed a strong opinion, but they have a profound influence when it comes to setting the agenda and priming people on new issues.

In addition to these benefits, the current technological revolution has brought radio closer to Africans than ever before, since radio is now a standard feature of most electronic devices, including telephone handsets.

The issue is that developed countries, more than ever before, utilize new technology to distribute more information to Nigeria, much of which is not useful knowledge for developing countries but rather a universal feature of life that kills uniqueness and cohesiveness in our country Carstens (2015). These technologies foster information imbalance by limiting the senders of information to those who have control of high-tech information gear. According to Carstens  (2015) Nigeria, like the rest of Africa, is shut off from what Africans do and what is African.       Strikingly,  culture and cultural features are stressed as important areas of concern world nationalities but since culture encompasses many societal difficulties; there seems to be a man-made rift being created between the industrialized North and the developing or underdeveloped South, which is intolerable as opined by Franks (2014). Ultimately, the South in broadcast media is represented as an area plagued by hunger, sickness, and economic disarray, as well as war, starvation, government corruption, bureaucracy, inefficiency, disaster, military coups, earthquakes, and national calamities while in the media the industrialized countries of the North represent the rest of the world in a variety of ways, including as news coverage of good advances and scientific achievements; medicine, health, politics, sports, government, and the economy are presented solely to the extent that these fields favor them. Thus the constant misrepresentation of underdeveloped south has continue to breed contention in development literature.

Corollary, in the industrialized media, every unpleasant occurrence or event becomes breaking news especially attached to Africa. According to Franks (2014), much of the North’s good successes or improvements are reported  while the Africa is always projected as the “dark nation”  which brings about bias in media coverage of national and international cultural and news flows.

1.2       Statement of the problem

Communication in today’s digital world is meant to break barriers of geography, culture, trade and technological innovations.Broadcasting has proven to be a potent tool in international relations. The invention of digital communication technology has broadened the scope and operations of international broadcasting. As opined by Frank (2015) through framing, broadcasting has been used to portray the West in positive and Africa in negative lights.

Bizarrely, DESPITE the globalization of communication through the satellite and digital broadcast technologies, there still exists an imbalance in the flow of information with the West dominating the rest of the world in the areas of technology, media software and expertise. This has led to a lopsided coverage of Africa as a region of the world largely dependent on the West for broadcast infrastructure, products and expertise. The unevenness has led to negative and distorted framing of Africa by Western-based broadcast organisations.However, a careful examination of news reports on the Africa  raises the question of whether the bias in recorded events and the poor representation of the South by industrialized countries is genuinely harmful?  Whether the broadcast media contributes to this framing and misrepresentation,? whether these broadcasting media framing  are an intentional effort to depict the Africa in an unfavorable light?. Upon this background, this study seeks to appraise misrepresentation of Africa in broadcasting media.

1.3       Objective of the study

The general objective of this study is misrepresentation of Africa in broadcasting media. The specific objective are as follows

1. To establish the extent Africa is  misrepresented  in broadcasting media.
2. To ascertain whether NTA in their broadcasting contributes to this Africa misrepresentation
3. To investigate whether broadcasting journalists appears bias in reporting events in Africa.
4. To determine whether NTA media framing  is an intentional effort to depict the Africa in an unfavorable light.

1.4 Research Questions

the study is guided by the following research questions:

1. What is the extent at which Africa misrepresented  in broadcasting media?
2. Does NTA in their broadcasting contributes to this Africa misrepresentation?
3. Does broadcasting journalists appears bias in reporting events in Africa?
4. Does NTA  media framing  is an intentional effort to depict the Africa in an unfavorable light?

1.5 Significance of the study

This study examine misrepresentation of Africa in broadcasting media. Hence this study will be significant in the following ways. To media houses, this study is of benefit to the media houses as it will expose the media and enjoin them from viewing Africa from a bias point of view. To academia, this study is significant to the academic family as it will serve as guide to researchers who may want to write more on the misrepresentation of Africa by the media and also contribute to the existing literature.

1.6 Scope of the study

The scope of this study borders on misrepresentation of Africa in broadcasting media. The study further  establish  the extent Africa is  misrepresented  in broadcasting media, ascertain whether NTA in their broadcasting contributes to this Africa misrepresentation, whether broadcasting journalists  appears bias in reporting events in Africa as well whether NTA  media framing  is an intentional effort to depict the Africa in an unfavorable light. The study is delimited to presenters and journalist in National Television Authority, FCT, Abuja.

1.7 Limitation of the study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject  misrepresentation of Africa in broadcasting media discourse is vast thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size covering only presenters and journalist in National Television Authority,  FCT Abuja. Thus findings of this study cannot be used for generalization for  other  states within Nigeria. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work will impede maximum devotion to the research. Howbeit, despite the constraint  encountered during the  research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

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