Towards Sustainable Journalism in Sub-Saharan Africa

• Sustainable Journalism has been developed and advocated by Peter Berglez, Ulrika Olausson and Mart Ots to respond to present and future global sustainability challenges as well as future sustainability of journalism. The relevance and contribution of Sustainable Journalism as a concept and practice is twofold. First, the concept refers to a journalism that integrates the three sustainability dimensions and does not isolate environmental issues from social and economic conditions. Second, Sustainable Journalism also addresses two intertwined challenges of our time: the sustainability crisis of society and the sustainability crisis of journalism itself. Having been developed in the north and still in its epistemological infancy, we found a need to explore its various dimensions and applications further in the south. Consequently, we critically explored how sustainable journalisms hould be defined and practised in sub-Saharan Africa. Stakeholder discussions were held with journalists, news editors and representatives of media development organisations in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Kenya to ascertain what they made of Sustainable Journalism and its application in SSA. With the trend of political actors dominating media ownership, resulting in limited editorial independence and polarized media; and insufficient financial sustainability connected to poor quality reporting, among others, we propose that sustainable Journalism should be context driven. Consequently, all media environments should be encouraged to tailor their own way of practicing Sustainable Journalism based on their unique social, environmental and economic circumstances. We also suggest the establishment of a Sustainable Journalism Partnership in sub-Saharan Africa to enhance the development and implementation of the concept.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications (hsv//eng)

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