Thirty Years of Broadcasting Africa on U.S. Network Television News |
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| Authors: | Yusuf Kalyango Uche Onyebadi |
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| Institution: | 1. E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University;2. Southern Illinois University , Carbondale |
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| Abstract: | This study examines the coverage of Africa by the U.S. television networks over a 30-year period, to determine whether the evening news broadcasts pay equal attention to Africa compared to South America and Europe. Also assessed is whether incidents of wars, famine, and public health crises and the increasing importance of Africa's oil, gold, and diamonds on the international market, continue to dominate the U.S. television network evening news coverage of the continent. A content analysis of ABC World News, NBC News, and CBS Evening News shows that coverage of Africa has steadily decreased more than coverage of other regions. The majority of international stories were about Europe while coverage of Africa on all three networks was far less when compared to other regions. Also, conflicts and crises dominated Africa's coverage throughout the 3 decades and stories linked a considerable amount of the news events to a particular U.S. interest. More results and their implications are discussed in detail. |
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