Slanted Reporting on Africa (Using Nigerian as an example)

 Entry #3

 

            Many Western media outlets only show the negative side of Africa like poverty, hunger, huts, sickness while ignoring the beautiful, modern and successful parts like developed cities, hotels, schools, and people living good lives. Many people believe Africa is poor, has no clean water, or that everyone lives in huts. This idea mostly comes from how the media shows Africa, only focusing on the bad side. Countries like Nigeria have big cities, wealthy people, fine houses, hotels, universities, and technology. This kind of negative reporting bias because it makes Africa look worse than she is. africa.com

            On Tv, social media and news outlets, many people post pictures of poor villages or slums in Africa to get views of pity. But they never show Banana Island in Lagos or the skyscrapers in Abuja. They do not show how Nigerians use iPhones, drive luxury cars and go to private schools. Naija  This is a slanted report because it gives people one side of the story. Western media mis-portray Africa even though 70% of what is shown is true does not mean everyone is suffering. Of course, there are people suffering and there are also people living a successful life. Naija

                                What we see

 There is no part of the world today that does not balance the states of livelihood. The Wilson Center even noticed that “Mainstream American media often projected a biased and damaging depiction of Africa through a near constant flow of crisis centric coverage and stereotypes.” These shows how media uses words and images that make Africa look like she is always suffering, even though there are many successful and modern parts of the continent. Another instance “The Continuous Negative Framing of Africa in the Media” talks about how most Western media reports focus only on the bad sides of Africa. It says, “out of the 154 stories the newspaper sourced from the BBC, only 52 stories focused on the positive happenings in Africa while 94 stories painted a catastrophic image about Africa.” noyam.org This shows that the media often reports Africa’s problems more than its progress. That is unfair because it makes people believe Africa is only poor or violent. Countries like Nigeria have modern cities, beautiful hotels, and strong cultures that deserve attention too. If the media shows both sides, the world will have a fairer view of Africa. Lagos

                           

                                                                                                        What actually exist

            In conclusion, the media should stop focusing only on Africa’s struggles and start showing its progress and success stories too. Africa is more than the poverty and crisis that people see on TV. There  are strong hardworking people, rich cultures, and beautiful cities that deserve balanced reports will help the world see Africa for what it truly is a continent full of hope talent and potential. Naija