Comparing African media coverage of the crisis in Darfur
South African Mail and Guardianand
Egypt’s Al Ahram Arabic daily and Al Ahram English Weekly
Tamara Swenson Cari Skogberg EastmanSchool of Journalism and Mass Communication
CU-Boulder
Reasons for differences in national media coverage
national commonality and interest in Sudan?
ownership, financing and operations of news medium?
South Africa: commonality with Sudan? Both former colonies Turbulent transitions Multiple ethnic and religious
differences
South African media: Large foreign investment Rated #1 or “free” by Freedom House Media considered watchdog of government
Mail and Guardian Started in 1985 as Weekly Mail, critic of
apartheid, owned by many smallshareholders Becomes first online daily in Africa (1994) 87.5% ownership sold to Botswana's Trevor
Ncube in 2002
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2003/Jan Feb
March
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sept Oct
Nov
Dec
2004/Jan Feb
March
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
2005/Jan Feb
Coverage by Month
Number of Articles
February 2003: Start of crisis in Darfur according to Human Rights Watch
July 27, 2004: AU agrees to increase monitoring force to 2,000 troops in Darfur December
26, 2004: Tsunami
March 19, 2003: Iraq War II starts
August 2003: SLA attacks weapons storage sites; Sudanese government continues to arm Janjaweed militias
June 30, 2004: Kofi Annan and Colin Powell visit Darfur
Mail & Guardian on Darfur
• Use of Terms genocide, ethnic cleansing,
oil
• Framing What happened / what
should be done (90%)• Minimal inclusion of historic
background / causes Blame Janjaweed &
Sudan Gov’t (50%) Ending Combined Int’l &
Domestic
Reason for Crisis (If included)
Ethnic and / or racial Government inequity
• Who gets quoted? Sudanese / UN officials /
Rebels / AU or African government reps
Occasionally: NGOs Missing (mostly):
Darfur villagers, Refugees, Janjaweed
Making Sense of M&G Coverage
• Agency used in article determined frame of article Guardian news agency : More emotional,
descriptive, sensational Other Agencies: SAPA & AFP
• distribution of resources or political / economic marginalization as one of the reasons
• African issue with South Africa in a leadership position
Solution to Darfur to be found in the African Union
Moving to neighboring Egyptian news media Any national commonality and Egyptian interest in
Sudan? Egypt controlled both North and South Sudan
before Sudanese independence: ties strained and cordial at different periods since
Primary issue: Sudan’s control of Nile waters
Media control in Egypt Law: media must uphold foundations of society,
guarantee unity, social peace 80% of publishers media state-owned, President
appoints editors: news media are “voice of government”
By Month: Al Ahram English Weekly
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Coverage by Month
Nu
mb
er
of
Art
icle
s
February 2003: Start of crisis in Darfur (Human Rights Watch)
July 27, 2004: AU agrees to increase monitoring force to 2,000 troops in Darfur December
26, 2004: Tsunami
March 19, 2003: Iraq War II starts
August 2003: SLA attacks weapons storage sites; Sudanese government continues to arm Janjaweed militias
June 30, 2004: Kofi Annan and Colin Powell visit Darfur
Al Ahram English Weekly Author listed
(40 of 44)
Terms
Focus: What happened / What should be done
Cause (infrequent)
• Blame
• Responsible for ending crisis
• Perception of emotional intensity of articles
• Voices heard, unheard
By Month: Al Ahram (Arabic)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Coverage by Month
Nu
mb
er
of
Art
icle
s
February 2003: Start of crisis in Darfur (Human Rights Watch)
July 27, 2004: AU agrees to increase monitoring force to 2,000 troops in Darfur December
26, 2004: Tsunami
March 19, 2003: Iraq War II starts
August 2003: SLA attacks weapons storage sites; Sudanese government continues to arm Janjaweed militias
June 30, 2004: Kofi Annan and Colin Powell visit Darfur
Al Ahram (Arabic) on Darfur
• Terms genocide: Oil
Focus: conduct and/or remedies (77%)
Causes (infrequent): When identified
• Blame: None (74%)
• Responsibility for ending conflict
• Voices
• Emotional intensity of articles
Making Sense of AA Coverage
Al Ahram Weekly• Reflects conflicted
history between Egypt & Sudan
• Presents Darfur crisis as African (and Arab) issue
• Pan-African framing
Al Ahram (Arabic)• Intellectualizes
discourse
Rejects international role
• Pan-Arab framing• Contests Western
view
Al Ahram: A single viewpoint?• Different markets: Arabic and English
versions NOT identical AA (Arabic): Frequent linkage to Iraq, Palestine AAW (English): Minimal linkage to Iraq, Palestine
• Position of Egyptian government predominates Arab League or African Union (under Egyptian
leadership) should have a leading role in solution in Darfur
African media coverage of an African crisis
The Mail and Guardian in more distant South Africa had more articles than either Al Ahram newspapers in neighboring Egypt; M&G had longer articles the Arabic Al Ahram
Coverage in all three media took place when a non-African global leader discussed Darfur
Voices of the Darfurian victims seldom heard Coverage of Al Ahram Arabic and English different
although both of low intensity due to Egyptian media law
Limited space in all 3 media to causes of crisis