JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 25 September 2024 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- On October 9, Mozambique will vote to elect a new president. Mozambique is one of 19 African countries, including South Africa and Ghana, that have held or are planning to hold elections in 2024. The narrative around elections in Africa is typically negative stereotypes that portray the continent as chaotic and illegitimate.
Africa No Filter and fraycollege conducted research into how election stories are told in Africa. Through focus groups with senior journalists and content analysis of over 800 online articles from different African countries, they found that the most commonly used words in election coverage are corruption, violence, ethnic tensions, disengaged youth and fraud.
But we know that there is more to elections in African countries than one negative narrative, and Africa No Filter’s new storytelling guide, “How to Write About Elections in Africa: A Guide,” aims to give journalists and other content creators the tools to tell stories that reflect the dynamic, nuanced and complex nature of African people and their electoral processes.
The guide, which will be formally launched via a webinar on October 3, has been compiled from analysis of the latest reporting on elections drawn from discussions with journalists and editors who have been covering elections in Africa and other parts of the world for decades.
How to Write About Elections in Africa: A Guide is a comprehensive guide to covering elections in Africa, including practical tips and ethical guidelines. From a personal checklist for addressing bias against Africans to examining newsroom culture and traditions, the guide offers suggestions on what journalists should stop and start doing to write better stories about elections in Africa. How to Write About Elections in Africa: A Guide also includes missing frames that journalists can use to rethink their stories.
This guide is not just a tool for journalists, but will also be valuable to other storytellers and content creators contributing to building Africa’s election narrative.
Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, said: “Across the world, elections are some of the most widely reported news stories due to their far-reaching impact. ‘How to Write about Elections in Africa’ is designed to confront and break persistent stereotypes about elections in Africa. Rather than simply changing the way the story is told, the guide aims to redefine the global narrative around Africa by portraying African democracy in a more nuanced way.”
Mamaponya Motsai, CEO of Frey College of Communications, said: “The stories journalists tell about elections, or any topic, have practical implications for the public. It’s a powerful force that must be harnessed well. This guide is not only a call to action, but also a step towards more inclusive and representative election coverage that truly reflects diverse voices and experiences and serves African voters.”
“How to write about African elections: a guide” is part of Africa No Filter’s work to help storytellers about Africa tell better stories and to help African stories be told better. It has been produced by fraycollege of communications. Download it here.
To launch the guide, Africa No Filter and fraycollege will host a webinar, “Africa No Filter Presents: A conversation about writing African elections,” on 3 October 2024 at 12:00 CET. Leading experts in journalism, media training and election reporting from across the continent will discuss rethinking traditional approaches to election reporting, sharing best practices and exploring how to portray African elections in a way that reflects the diverse and dynamic realities on the ground. Register here.
Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of Africa No Filter.
For further information:
Africa No Filter: Lerato@africanofilter.org
About Africa No Filter:
Africa No Filter is an advocacy organization working to change stereotypical narratives about Africa through storytelling that reflects a dynamic continent brimming with progress, innovation and opportunity. The donor consortium is funded by the Ford Foundation, Bloomberg, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Luminate, Open Society Foundations, Comic Relief, Hilton Foundation, British Council and Hewlett Foundation.
About fraycollege of Communications:
fraycollege is a pan-African institution that provides training and research in journalism and communication to a range of disciplines across the African continent and beyond.
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