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

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5

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15

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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

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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)

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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