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GOOD NEWS FROM AFRICA
Long cast as the "dark continent" in news articles about its coups, corruption and catastrophes, Africa may soon be presented in a more positive light.
Delegates at an African International Media Summit convened in Ghana this week to discuss ways to change the continent's doom and gloom image, are proposing a good news network to combat what they call a culture of negative reporting.
"When people think of Africa, they think of war, famine, AIDS and disaster. That's a shame because this continent offers a lot more than that," said Erieka Bennett of the South Africa-based African
Communication Agency, which aims to boost links with the
African diaspora and organised the event.
"We cannot fulfil our full potential if the image we have of ourselves is one of hopelessness," she told Reuters.
Delegates at the conference in Ghana's capital Accra said good news stories could be exchanged via a website or through existing African national news agencies. "We would like to call it the 'positive story network', where success stories from individual countries are exchanged among African media," said Adrienne Diop, media director for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
"At least once a week, newspapers, radio and television stations should be able to find a success story about a company or a family or an individual -- something positive that's happened in their country, and share it with their peers around the continent," she said.
"We need to tell these success stories to ourselves before we can expect others to tell them to the world," Diop said.
Some delegates complained international coverage of Africa was biased and stereotyped. "Sadly, the international media will continue to put out negative stories about Africa because that's what sells. It feeds their audience's expectations," said Desta Meghoo, a Jamaican international media consultant.
Charles Onyango-Obbo, managing editor of Kenya's Nation Media Group said news organisations had to strike a balance.
"Just telling positive stories about Africa is just as problematic as telling only negative stories. We should strive for balance because where there's sadness there's also music and festivals --- it's a coping mechanism."
credit:Reuters
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