Texting, Tweeting, Mobile Internet: New Platforms for Democratic Debate in Africa

This 51-page report, published by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, examines the sustainability, ethics, and quality, as well as the role of development co-operation, of citizen journalism in Africa. The study defines this kind of journalism as that produced by non-professionals and notes that it makes use of a wide range of tools including social media, the internet, and mobile phones to fill existing gaps in conventional news coverage. According to the study, new media platforms are changing how people communicate with each other around the world. However, computer ownership and internet access are still the prerogative of the wealthy in much of the African continent, but mobile internet access is on the rise and if current growth rates continue, African mobile phone penetration will reach 100 per cent by 2014. Both mobile phones and the internet provide exciting new opportunities for one-to-one as well as one-to-many communication. One concern raised in this context is the matter of quality standards and a code of ethics.

The author points out that while citizen journalism has played a great role in the Arab Spring uprisings as well as in public protests in Africa during 2011, it remains difficult to sustain formal platforms for this kind of journalism. The report highlights several examples from Africa as well as Asia of outlets that were forced to close due to a lack of sustainable business models while others achieved some degree of sustainability through donor funding. To foster sustainability, the report posits that some state funds traditionally reserved for television and radio state broadcasters could be redirected to support citizen journalism. Lastly, it adds that to reduce cost-related barriers to citizen journalism, it may be necessary to lobby for increased competition among telephone and Internet service providers.

According to the report, the quality and ethics of citizen journalism is a frequently cited concern. There have been instances where citizen journalism outlets, unable or unwilling to filter inappropriate content, may have helped fuel violence. The report notes the potential value of a multi-pronged approach for media policy to tackle the issue of inappropriate or undesirable content, which would involve sensitising the general public, developing technical solutions to filter out inappropriate content and empower users by providing them with the ability to flag undesired content.

However, the author notes that some of these recommendations are only applicable to platforms edited and controlled by single entities. Sensitising the public and promoting media literacy may be viable strategies even in contexts where there is no one responsible company or organisation. Measures suited to the promotion of media literacy could include information campaigns about the make-up and modus operandi of media corporations as well as raising awareness of the power and impact of media messages. These measures are likely to be more effective if implemented at an early age. Media literacy could be incorporated into curriculums, and after-school programmes could contribute to consolidating newly acquired skills. All of these measures create an opportunity for partnerships with the relevant civil society organisations, which should have an active role in promoting media literacy.

The report concludes with a discussion of donors' roles in citizen journalism. Promoting media literacy can be a means of increasing the awareness of audiences as well as helping citizens take part in the global conversation. Following from this, the report advocates that donors seize their potential as facilitators and open up their vast networks to community journalism initiatives. However, it notes that donor support should be aligned with the needs of organisations running existing initiatives. There may also be a role for donors in supporting calls for greater freedom of speech in many countries as indicated by the fact that many bloggers and other citizen journalists have to fear reprisals for voicing their opinions.