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REPORTING AFRICA IN THE GLOBAL AGE:
THE DIFFERENCE GLOBALISATION MAKES
An Essay Exam on Fall 2008 Course:
REPORTING GLOBAL CHANGE
By
AUSTEN UCHE UWOSOMAH
Instructor: Hans-Henrik Holm,
Professor of World Politics,
Danish Sch. of Journalism / Aarhus University

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Introduction
Countries the world over are now reaching crescendo in
interrelations due to universal pruning of restrictions on flow of
all facets of human activities across territorial borders of earth
for maximal international relations. This bloom in international
relations further paves way for a better term to describe the
radical evolvement of international movement of all the facets
of human activities from multi trans-border regions to a trans-
global throttle. It is perhaps because of this that the term
‘globalization’ was hatched to describe the phenomena.
However, for the purpose of this essay, ‘globalization’ will be
viewed from positions made by two scholars videlicet: Jan Aart
Scholte and Nick Bisley with recourse to their individual
definitions of globalisation; their definitions’ differences and
similarities; how their definitions are useful to international
reporting and the difference that globalization makes in terms
of reporting of Africa.
Scholte’s Definition
Scholte (2005:49) likens globalization to ‘globality’. He
describes it as a centripetal constriction of the social space

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and time between earthly people due to “the spread of
tranplanetary- and in recent times and also more particularly
supraterritorial connections between people” In his
explanation, ‘tranplanetary’ “refers to social links between
people located at points anywhere on earth.” That is the
‘transworld’ social contact that “…is manifested across
multiple areas of social life…” all of which can go any where
but perhaps not everywhere due to marks on some territorial
limitations. Also, he describes supraterritoriality as “social
connections that substantially transcend territorial
geography”. Like when human social activities further
transcend territorial limitations to become transworld
occurrence making them “transworld simultaneity and
instantaneity”.
Bisley’s Definition
Bisley (2007:30) hinges his definition of globalization on the
vast array of the interconnected changes it has caused in the
spheres of human life. Bisley did not suffice a concrete
definition. Rather, he explains that globalization is “a set of
related social, political and economic consequences of a series
of transformation in the social world, though the causal

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character of relationships is uneven and often very unclear”.
Bisley means that globalization is a manifest consequence due
to mediating factors like reduced cost of mobility and
increased speed and rate in the flow of social life and its
activities across the world. He says changes in social life
practices as a result of globalization have produced a set of
consequences which has in turn influenced the social
behaviour of institutions in the world order. He infers that
concern should be on the effect in human behaviors that form
sufficient volumes in the terrestrial flows and as well the
institutions that are created to govern those behaviors.
Definitions’ Similarities
Their definitions’ meeting point is rooted in the commonality
they both have with regards to planetary social movements
and connections. Both definitions recognize the importance of
human activities mobility and social space as platforms for
globalization. And posit the state, multinational agencies and
individuals as important actors. Also, both definitions recognize
the supreme importance of the state as powerful dominant
actor.

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Definitions’ Differences
Differences in the duo definitions can be viewed from the
standpoint of Scholte’s underpinning of globalization on the
tranplanetary and supraterritorial connections between
peoples of the world; the compression of social space and
time due to massive improvement on technologies that have
aided social life mobility and communication. (Scholte,
2005:49)
Conversely, Bisley makes none of these underscores. He infers
that while social space and time compression maters, but it
does not form the main crux. Rather, concern should be on the
way changes to patterns of economic and other social
practices due to globalization, have aggregate flow on
consequences for the social institutions that govern human life
(Bisley, 2007:30).
Definitions’ Usefulness to International Reporting from Africa
International reporting practice means giving information and
some kind of education and entertainment to the global
audience. In addition to that, it also involves steering and
anchoring opinion, keeping surveillance and as well setting

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agenda for global debate. Before globalization became
catapulted to its present day frenzy, international news
reporting, did not use the modern time sublunary (cyber space)
media. It was limited to internationally circulated news journals
and celestial transnational satellite radio and cable TV signals.
International news reporting has now entered into the era of
transplanetary and supraterritorial transverse within earth’s
social space. The outcome of this development to international
reporting of news across the world, is “…the rapid acceleration
of communication that shows little regard for geographic
constraints” (Harvey, 1989; Robertson, 1992).
Both Scholte’s and Bisley’s concepts of globalization are
useful to international reporting particularly from a far-reaching
continent as Africa. According to Scholte (2005:62) “the global
mass media spread messages simultaneously to transworld
audiences”. Scholte by this is noting the shrink in social space.
Africa is brought closer to the rest of the world via
supraterritorial dissemination of news about the continent by
international news organs to the global audiences. Thus news
from Africa has become ubiquitous in the world.
‘Simultaneity’, ‘instantaneity’, ‘ubiquity’, are evidence of
social space and time compression. However, this is not

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possible if social forces were not involved. Thus the institutions
of people who are involved in the dissemination of news across
the world; the other social structures that govern these
institutions practice; and the people who make up the global
audiences as well the social practices that ignite the events
that are covered and reported as news from the continent
have dominant influence and consequences on the way news
from Africa is reported in the global age.
Other imperatives are in terms of the level of understanding
the world audience have about Africa. The editorial policy
framework of international media structures and as well,
perhaps most importantly, domestic journalistic gambits which
manifest through localization of international news. Bisley
recounts this when he reiterated Anthony Giddens’
submission of globalization as “the intensification of worldwide
social relations which link distant localities in such a way that
local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles
away and vice versa” (Giddens, 1996:64). Thus foreign news
becomes influenced by the way the international media
structures localize what they see and how they want to see it.

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The Difference that Globalization Makes in Reporting of Africa
A visible impact of globalization is that political ideas, economic
events and communication spread much more than before. As
corollary, globalization with recourse to international reporting
of news across the world has made tremendous difference to
the practice particularly in the way news spread in terms of
distance and time. The international mass media outlets have
had need to recreate structural methodology in the pattern of
news dissemination across the world. In strict professional
journalism stance, the principles guiding news reporting
behoove journalists to brandish news truthfully, accurately,
fairly, objectively and comprehensively. But in this global age, it
is not practicable to achieve all of these ingredients in actual
news reports. Hence there is exemption of 'fairness and
objectivity' particularly when it pertains to western media
reportage on Africa. Globalization has given the international
news media outlets soapboxes to further trumpet the age old
style in which Africa was and is still being reported to the global
audiences.
Africa is a continent that has been and is still being plagued by
both act-of-man and act-of-God woes. This is evidently seen in

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the myriad of the social and ecological problems that every
now and then trigger off there. This is perhaps why it has
become veritable newsworthy arena for western media
journalists to perfect systemic unhealthy journalism that
portrays Africa as perpetually ugly, bad and no good.
Undoubtedly, western journalists would suddenly swoop down
on Africa whenever any of the stereotypes of disease, famine,
war, death, corruption scams, dictatorship antics, or others
that the continent was and is globally known for occur.
At this juncture, Occidental reporters’ interests are rekindled
in the continent and of course then they would always balloon
“the negative, giving scant regard to areas of notable
progress, development and achievement. Almost like there is a
desire to maintain an archaic and dire image of Africa. An
image which it infact helped establish in the minds of its
viewers since pre-slavery times.” (Belleh, 2006)
Salisu Koki (2006) writing on ohmynews.com, says
“regrettably enough, the once valued and highly regarded
Western media have slipped a bit from its renowned tradition
of fair and balanced reporting, most especially when it comes
to reporting issues pertaining to Africa and Africans.”
Reiterating, Belleh (2006) adds “the western media continues

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to have a field day at Africa's expense, doing a great
disservice to Africa undermining its history, rich culture and
tradition and overall historical contribution to world affairs”.
Western media may not entirely be at fault for the gross
discredit it makes on Africa. Perhaps the preconception their
audiences back home have of Africa is desirous of nothing
short of what they have from time immemorial become wont
to. Assenting, Sis. Margaret (2008) says: “Africa simply lives in
their imaginations because the media fathom their audiences
and do very good job telling them what they want to hear, see,
or read… No one can blame them for selecting stories and
images their people like.” So reporting about Africa by the
western media for the global audiences has remained the
same even in this global age just as it had been in yore times.
Globalization has made no iota of difference on the way Africa
is being reported in the global age.
In fact, one of the things globalization did to international news
reporting is to create more audiences in the global social
space. Consequently, there are more audiences ever than
before who are exposing themselves to global media
reportage. Now there has become wide spread global

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awareness of Africa’s stereotyped epidemic, endemic or
pandemic outbreaks in world news. A glaring short term
impact effect of the foregoing is that it led to the world’s
social force into a frenzy of global compassion for the
continent. Social institutions particularly of individuals, non
governmental organizations including multinational
corporations and political structures which make up the global
audiences developed empathy in coming to the rescue of
Africa whenever the international media reportage shows it is
once again struck by any of the stereotypical problems it is
known for. The global audiences see and hear, and they do
same thing often through donating money to be sent to Africa.
In the same vein, the continual surly style reporting of the
international media about Africa stretched the compassion of
the global audiences to a point of fatigue. And globalization
stepped in to globally cement the compassion fatique in the
behaviour of the global audience. People “became
unintentionally dispassionate to human suffering caused not by
their innate character but rather a natural tendency to get
worn out seeing one and the same thing and doing one and the
same thing without changes”. Referring to what Moeller (1999)
cites: “been there, done that …everybody is Africa’d out for

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the moment…..that the problem has returned might seem a
slap in the face of philanthropy”. Compassion fatigue is thus a
consequence of the over flogging of the Africa’s many woes
in global news media of international news mongers. And
globalization has helped to inadvertently make it global.
Conclusion
Bearing in mind the difference globalization has made in terms
of reporting of Africa, Scholte’s and Bisley’s definitions of
globalization might help in suggesting some inferences. From
Scholte’s standpoint, a glaring impact of globalization is that it
increased the spread of Occidental journalists to Africa
(tranplanetary) as well as dissemination of news from Africa to
many farther continents across the world (supraterritorial).
Bisley is right when he said that the consequence of
globalization is tantamount to better way of fathoming the term
itself. The rate in the flow of journalistic media reporting of
Africa across the world changes social life practices. As a
result, social behaviours are influenced. The compassion
fatique situation is a veritable example. To large extent, the
continual globalizing of empathic media coverage from Africa

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by international news mongers to the world audience gave
open way to compassion fatique.
(Word count: 2,000)
References
Belleh, Raymond Tarek (2006) The Western Media and Its
Exploitation
of Africa www.africanevents.com
Bisley, Nick (2007) Rethinking Globalization, New York: Palgrave.
Koki, Salisu Ahmed (2006) Western Media and Africa:
Balanced
Reporting? www.english/ohmynews.com
Moeller, Susan D. (1999) Compassion Fatigue. How the Media Sell
Disease, Famine, War and Death, New York: Routledge.
Scholte, Jan Aart (2005) “Defining globalization”, in Scholte,
Globalization, (2005) 2 Ed., New York: Palgrave.
Sis. Margaret (2008) Poverty in Africa: The solution
http://cozay1.blogspot.com