JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 25 September 2024 -/African Media Company(AMA)/- On October 9 Mozambique will go to the polls to elect a brand new president. Mozambique is considered one of 19 African international locations, together with South Africa and Ghana, who’ve had or could have elections in 2024. The narrative of elections in Africa is often considered one of damaging stereotypes that painting the continent as chaotic and illegitimate.
Africa No Filter and fraycollege performed analysis on how the story of elections in Africa is advised. Via focus teams with senior journalists and content material evaluation of over 800 on-line articles from completely different African international locations, we discovered that the phrases mostly used when reporting on elections have been corruption, violence, ethnic pressure, unengaged youths, and fraud.
But we all know there’s extra to elections in our African international locations than one single damaging narrative. Africa No Filter’s new storytelling information, The way to Write About an African Election: A Information, units out to equip journalists and different content material creators with the instruments to inform tales that replicate the dynamic, nuanced and complicated nature of African folks and their electoral processes.
The information, which can be formally launched on a webinar on October third, is put collectively utilizing evaluation of present reporting on elections insights from discussions with journalists and editors, a few of whom have lined elections in Africa and different components of the phrase for many years.
The way to Write About an African Election: A Information gives a complete information on protecting African elections, together with sensible ideas and moral pointers. The information gives solutions on what journalists have to cease doing and what they need to begin doing to inform higher tales about African elections, from private checklists that cope with biases towards Africans to interrogating newsroom tradition and traditions. The way to Write About an African Election: A Information additionally consists of lacking frames that journalists can use to rethink their tales.
The information just isn’t a software for journalists solely, different storytellers or content material creators who contribute to constructing the narrative of elections in Africa will discover it priceless.
Moky Makura, Government Director at Africa No Filter, mentioned: “Internationally, elections are one of the crucial extensively lined information tales, attributable to their far-reaching penalties. The way to Write About an African Election was designed to confront and dismantle the pervasive stereotypes that persist about elections in Africa. This information just isn’t merely about reworking how tales are advised; it’s about redefining the worldwide narrative round Africa by means of a extra nuanced portrayal of African democracy.”
Mamaponya Motsai, CEO at fraycollege of Communications, mentioned: “The tales that journalists inform on elections, or any matter have sensible implications for atypical residents. It is a lot of energy, and it have to be used effectively. This information just isn’t solely a name to motion but additionally a step in direction of extra inclusive and consultant election protection that really displays the varied voices and experiences and serves the African voters.”
The way to Write About an African Election: A Information is a part of Africa No Filter’s advocacy for storytellers to inform higher tales about Africa, and for African tales to be advised higher. It was produced by fraycollege of Communications. Obtain it here.
To launch the information, Africa No Filter and fraycollege can be holding a webinar on 3 October 2024 at 12:00 CET referred to as Africa No Filter Presents: A dialog about writing African elections. Main voices in journalism, media coaching, and electoral protection from throughout the continent will focus on rethinking conventional approaches to election reporting, sharing finest practices, and exploring how you can painting African elections in a method that displays the varied and dynamic realities on the bottom. Register here.
Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of Africa No Filter.
Inquiries:
Africa No Filter: Lerato@africanofilter.org
About Africa No Filter:
Africa No Filter is an advocacy organisation that’s shifting stereotypical narratives about Africa by means of storytelling that displays a dynamic continent of progress, innovation and alternative. The donor collaborative is funded by Ford Basis, Bloomberg, Andrew W. Mellon Basis, Luminate, Open Society Foundations, Comedian Aid, the Hilton Basis, the British Council and Hewlett Basis.
About fraycollege of Communications:
fraycollege is a pan-African establishment that gives journalism and communication coaching and analysis to completely different sectors throughout the African continent and past.
The submit Africa No Filter launches new guide on how to write about African elections appeared first on African Media Agency.