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The Ethics of Engagement

Media, Conflict and Democracy in Africa

Wasserman, Herman (Professor of Media Studies and Director of the Centre for Film and Media Studies, Professor of Media Studies and Director of the Centre for Film and Media Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa)

The Ethics of Engagement

The Ethics of Engagement

Media, Conflict and Democracy in Africa

The Ethics of Engagement

 

What role should the media play in conflicts that arise during transitions to democracy? What makes the role of the media in Africa different from those in other parts of the world? What ethical responsibilities and obligations do the media have towards societies mired in conflict and characterized by social and economic inequality, ethnic and racial polarization and histories of oppression and violence?


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Beschrijving The Ethics of Engagement

How can an "ethics of listening" guide the media to contribute to the deepening of democracy in Africa?

In Africa, the media plays a significant role in conflict management and resolution. Which conflicts the media report, which are ignored, and how conflicts are represented can have a profound impact on the outcomes. While the media can in some cases ensure the stability of African democracy, critics have pointed out that in other cases, the media actually increases tensions in areas of conflict. The media tends to privilege only elite voices, offering superficial coverage of marginalized groups in a way that increases polarization.

In The Ethics of Engagement, Herman Wasserman explores the ethics of the media in conflicts that arise during transitions to democracy in Africa. He examines the roles, responsibilities, and obligations of media in contexts of high socioeconomic inequality. In doing so, he looks at ethnic and racial polarization in the histories of colonialism, post-colonial authoritarianism, and hybrid regimes. Taking a critical view of the normative guidelines and professional identities of journalism inherited from contexts outside of Africa, he argues that a more reciprocal and collaborative approach is needed. He develops a new ethics of engagement that would require the media to facilitate the resolution of conflicts across differences of ethnicity, citizenship, and class. A central point of this theory is the development of an "ethics of listening" which would enable the media to conceive of their role as facilitators in democratic deliberation and community-building. Wasserman applies his ethics of listening to case studies across the African continent. He finds that by following this new model of conduct, the media may actually deepen democracy and help de-escalate conflict. This original study provides a useful framework for reimaging the media's role in transitional democracies in Africa--and across the globe.


ISBN
9780190917333
Pagina's
192
Verschenen
NUR
680
Druk
1
Uitvoering
Hardback
Taal
Engels
Uitgever
OUP USA

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