Africa still stereotyped by top global media — study

Despite some progress, a clichéd and often stereotypical coverage of Africa persists among major global media outlets.

However, there are notable exceptions like The Guardian, AFP, Al Jazeera and Reuters, which are breaking the mould with balanced reporting of the continent.

Findings from the University of Cape Town's Global Media Index for Africa (GMI) suggest that major news outlets still fall short in providing a nuanced view of Africa.

GMI researchers tracked the coverage of Africa by 20 of the world's top news providers over six months, analysing more than 1,000 articles for diversity of topics, sources, the number of African countries covered and depth of coverage.

The Guardian topped the index for accurate reporting with a score of 63 per cent, followed closely by AFP and Al Jazeera at 61 per cent and Reuters at 60 per cent, all providing balanced and comprehensive coverage.

Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of The Africa Centre, highlighted the broader implications of media narratives, noting they shape perspectives and influence how global decision-makers engage with Africa.

“Media coverage of Africa has become more balanced over the years, largely due to the advent of social media that offers first-person counter-narratives to biases in journalism based on antiquated beliefs,” he said.

However, several prominent American media outlets ranked at the bottom of the index, highlighting significant gaps in their portrayal of Africa. The Washington Post scored 47 per cent, the Wall Street Journal 48 per cent and The New York Times only slightly better, at 51 per cent.

These scores reflect a narrow focus on politics, poverty and corruption, often at the expense of more diverse and nuanced stories.

Wallace Chuma, the report's lead researcher, said the research is important not just a snapshot of current media practices but also as a "call to action for global media to critically examine their storytelling about Africa and understand its impact".

“The index serves as a baseline from which we can push for more nuanced and equitable media narratives," he said.

"This study marks an important step towards challenging the status quo and enriching global understanding of Africa.”

Mid-tier performers included outlets like VOA News and CNN, both scoring 59 per cent, and Deutsche Welle with 58 per cent.

These outlets showed a more balanced approach but still lagged behind the top performers. CGTN and Associated Press both scored 57 per cent, while BBC and Xinhua each scored 55 per cent.

Le Monde scored 54 per cent and Bloomberg 53 per cent. RFI, Russia Today, and The Economist each scored 52 per cent, showing a mixed performance.

Moky Makura, executive director at Africa No Filter, which backed the report, stressed the importance of the index as a tool for improvement, given the outsized influence these global media outlets have on how the world sees Africa and how Africa sees itself.

"It's in our interests as concerned Africans to track and monitor what and how they write about us,” he said.

"But it's important that we see the index as a carrot rather than a stick. We are highlighting what is working and showing what is possible when it comes to reporting on Africa."

The GMI also found that global media coverage often features powerful men predominantly, sidelining ordinary Africans and marginalised groups.

"The voices of ordinary Africans were missing in the stories because global reporting still privileges the voices of powerful elites, both local and international," the index noted, listing experts, politicians, national leaders and international organisations as the dominant voices.

The Guardian scored highest for including diverse voices, with a score of 62 per cent, whereas Russia Today ranked lowest at 36 per cent.

"Very little attention is given to ordinary citizens and other traditionally marginalised voices like young people, women and traditional leaders," the index reported.

"Once again, The Guardian is in first place with a score of 62 per cent for the range of diverse voices in its articles. Russia Today ranked at number 20 with a score of 36 per cent."

Despite the shortcomings, the GMI notes that many well-funded media organisations scored high on depth of coverage, reflecting an awareness of the tenets of good journalism.

Le Monde excelled in providing context, scoring 95 per cent, and Xinhua led in stereotype avoidance with 97 per cent.

Africa No Filter is upbeat the GMI would help improve the global media's portrayal of Africa, offering a baseline from which to push for more nuanced and equitable media narratives.