HELP AT A HUGE COST: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF HOW DONOR GROUPS MANIPULATE THE WESTERN NEWS MEDIA TO RAISE FUNDS FOR AFRICA

Abstract: Despite criticisms, over the years, of the negative manner in which the African continent is portrayed in the Western news media, evidence abound that the situation remains largely the same. The Western media have remained consistent in presenting the African continent as a ‘jungle’ synonymous with poverty, disaster, conflict and everything negative. Positive developments such as improvement in social and economic conditions, innovations, etc. are deliberately ignored or downplayed to sustain the negative narrative. Playing a key role in promoting and sustaining the negative depiction of Africa by the Western news media are some Western-based non-governmental humanitarian agencies who employ ‘compassion’ as a strategy for attracting donations to ‘assist’ Africa. They exaggerate disasters and other happenings in Africa using the Western media because, in their view, donors in their countries and elsewhere would not be moved unless a grave picture was painted. This paper analyses the situation which has resulted in continued portrayal of Africa in negative light by the Western news media and the sustained tendency to deliberately ignore or downplay positive developments. It employs the media framing model to explain how the Western news media continue to portray Africa to perpetuate the situation. The paper argues that unless the humanitarian organisations in the West desist from their strategy of employing empathy to attract donations for their activities in Africa and Africans seize the initiative by propagating positive achievements on the continent, objective and unbiased reportage of the continent by the Western news media might remain a mirage.

Keywords: Manipulation, Donor Groups, Western Media, Compassion, Negative Image

Published: November 2017

Issue: Vol 1 (2) 2017: PLASU JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES