What African media? Rethinking research on Africa’s press

Abstract

This article looks at the representation of Darfur in Kenya from 2003 to 2008. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory and Rodney Benson’s habitus affinity and habitus disaffinity, this article highlights the pitfalls of using ‘African media’ as an analytical category when studying media representations of atrocities by Africa’s press. The evidence presented here suggests the need for an approach that is nuanced when analysing representation of issues of political or social import, especially considering, in the case of Kenyan news organizations, the willingness to lift news reports from Western organizations. By lifting such a large number of stories from wire agencies, the Kenyan media field privileges narratives employed by these organizations. This parsing out of articles is necessary if scholars are to confidently understand how the press in Africa represents Africa to local/national audiences.