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Not sure about other parts of the world but #Journalism in #SouthernAfrica is in crisis, needing serious and urgent redress. I'm serious.
Well, I now know - and I'm sure - about other parts of the World; Journalism is in deep crisis, and unlikely to recover.
This didn't happen overnight. Consistent negation of the values of Freedom of Expression, complicity in cover-ups by Political & Business elites and.../
This didn't happen overnight. Consistent negation of the values of Freedom of Expression, complicity in cover-ups by Political & Business elites and.../
...growing awareness by consumer is of Media & Information has left many media organisations and journalists exposed.
What is now called "Disinformation" is, in fact, an ideological battle for "TRUTH" as advanced by those who wield Power, often against those challenging Power.
What is now called "Disinformation" is, in fact, an ideological battle for "TRUTH" as advanced by those who wield Power, often against those challenging Power.
There is no drawing board to get back to; lines have been firmly drawn and journalists are caught-up on either side. So too are audiences, most of them unsuspecting.
Add fast-growing (scary) Information illiteracy to the mix and you have a cocktail of deception & manipulation.
Add fast-growing (scary) Information illiteracy to the mix and you have a cocktail of deception & manipulation.
So yes, "troll(s) farms" are a problem and if we accept this, we must also accept that journalists sitting in newsrooms (un-troll farms) are equally problematic, as they have always been, for the mere fact that they aren't Ideologically neutral actors.
Hence, within the neo-liberal framework most media in #Africa operate within (so too the 'global media') it is foolhardy to accept their narratives as innocuous i.e. ideologically neutral and therefore as TRUTH, when the whole idea of "TRUTH" itself has always been contested.
Ironically, one of the most compelling reasons why Journalism is in crisis is its 'reluctance' to confront Power (Political & Corporate/Business) because of the extent to which its own interests (survival/sustainability) are tied to Politics & Business, and not People.
This is why Independent Media around the world now seem 'fashionable' but the fact is that such Media have remained rooted, as closely as possible, to the core values of Journalism.
However, these Media aren't always 'popular'/'mainstream' because of dominant 'compromised' Media
However, these Media aren't always 'popular'/'mainstream' because of dominant 'compromised' Media
And this is why the distinction on TRUTH matters; whose Truth is it anyway?
Just because you read things in your favourite media doesn't make those things necessarily true; there is more at play, esp. in Societies that have heavy conversations for Political & Economic control.
Just because you read things in your favourite media doesn't make those things necessarily true; there is more at play, esp. in Societies that have heavy conversations for Political & Economic control.
That's also why we need to urgently move from only defending Journalism to defending, wholeheartedly, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, because it is here where the battle for TRUTH can be fought 'cleanly', allowing both producers & consumers of Info to weigh views. https://twitter.com/LeviKabwato/status/764708949719482368?s=19
But, to 'weigh' views, one also needs some kind of Information literacy, the result of basics such as critical thinking, understanding how Media work etc. Sadly, these are the very things that have been stripped away from most People around the world, either as part of Education/
...or as some kind of coercion, but mostly the former. A lot of People have actually been taught to NOT think Independently. Which is why, for e.g the reporting on independent expressions (organising, publishing, creating, innovation etc.) is mostly negative & seeks to discredit.
That's why you'll notice, for example, the huge disparity in how something like #BlackLivesMatter 
was reported in the Media 5 years ago against how it is currently being reported, resulting in everyone (or so it seems) taking a knee etc.
What changed over the years?
was reported in the Media 5 years ago against how it is currently being reported, resulting in everyone (or so it seems) taking a knee etc.What changed over the years?
5 years ago, everyone who didn't take a knee for #BlackLivesMatter but is doing so now effectively had a position they held back then. So how would have that position be articulated in relation to those who were already kneeling? This is the same non-neutrality that exists.
but is doing so now effectively had a position they held back then. So how would have that position be articulated in relation to those who were already kneeling? This is the same non-neutrality that exists.
& of course everyone evolves, for better or for worse, which is cool. So do Media too. So with that understanding, why isn't it important to always acknowledge that MEDIA ARE NOT NEUTRAL & that JOURNALISTS are also NOT NEUTRAL? They hold particular views. https://twitter.com/LeviKabwato/status/833256601561731072?s=19
Anyway, for #Africa - southern #Africa in particular - this ongoing crisis in Journalism & Media now demands that we also look at the neglected PUBLIC MEDIA discourse.
Dying "private" Media have been dealt a fatal blow by Covid; recovery is unlikely. https://twitter.com/LeviKabwato/status/819439243357552640?s=19
Dying "private" Media have been dealt a fatal blow by Covid; recovery is unlikely. https://twitter.com/LeviKabwato/status/819439243357552640?s=19
Our aspirations for Democracy are intrinsically linked to strong PUBLIC MEDIA and it is time, perhaps, to revisit the discourse. Doing so will not only open up opportunities for ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP but it will also effectively 'rescue' privately-owned Media from their deathbeds.
