New Global Media Index measures how 20 of the world’s most influential and leading news providers cover Africa

Considering the influential way in which news coverage about Africa shapes perceptions about the continent, and the outsized influence stories have on investment, tourism, global policy on Africa and the cost of money for the continent, Africa No Filter, in partnership with the Africa Center New York and the University of Cape Town investigated how 20 of the world’s most influential and leading news providers cover Africa.

The result is the Global Media Index for Africa. It is the only Index that we are aware of that tracks the performance of 20 of the world’s most influential and leading news providers. The Global Media Index for Africa assesses and ranks *online news stories of the 20 leading news providers that offer primary coverage of Africa for the world.  The outlets selected are the digital platforms of: CNN, Deutsche Welle, Russia Today, Bloomberg, Xinhua, Le Monde, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, The Economist, New York Times, VOA News, AFP, Reuters, BBC, CGTN, Financial Times, RFI, and Washington Post. 

Over 1 000 news articles were collected over a six- month period, and evaluated across four key indicators, making the Global Media Index for Africa the largest manual study of media analysis ever conducted for an African media index. The indicators against which the content was assessed include the  diversity of topics covered in the stories,  the range of sources interviewed and quoted in direct citations in each story, the number of African countries covered over the period of analysis, and the depth of coverage;  measured by the context and balance provided as well as the framing and stereotypes used. 

The overall score for each outlet is based on an average of each individual media’s performance across the four broad indicators. The results suggest there is a need for both change and continuity in how global media covers Africa.  The general performance across the online news content from all 20 media outlets falls within the category of ‘medium’, suggesting that coverage of Africa in terms of new, more progressive narratives leaves room for improvement. 

Below is a summary of key highlights from the Global Media Index for Africa.

  • The Guardian is in first place on the index for its overall coverage of the continent, with a score of 63%. It was also number one for the diversity of topics covered, with a score of 57%.
  • At second and third places overall on the index are AFP and Reuters agencies, with scores of 61% and 60%, respectively. AFP also came in first place for covering the most African countries of the outlets assessed, with a score of 56%. 
  • Three leading American powerhouse media organisations came in at the bottom of the index at 18th, 19th and 20th positions. They were the New York Times (51%), Wall Street Journal (48%), and Washington Post (47%). 
  • Without exception, the global media organisations in this study devoted disproportionate space to powerful men — from politicians and businesspeople to experts — as primary news sources in their stories about Africa, showing that men still dominate news in and about Africa.
  • Most of the global media in the index only covered a handful of African countries in depth in their reports, showing that global media still largely treats Africa as a country. Wall Street Journal came in at the bottom of the index in the 20th position for the limited number of countries it reported on, with a score of 31%. 
  • There were no high performers in the ‘diversity of topics’ reported on, with the lion’s share of news about Africa being about politics, poverty, corruption and related negative subjects. There was scant attention to topics such as culture, the arts, innovation, technology, and other positive developments in the continent found in the online stories.
  • The Washington Post, with a score of 29%, ranked lowest for the ‘diversity of topics’ covered, representing a continuity of previous patterns found in many media of framing Africa through the lens of its stereotypes.
  • The voices of ordinary Africans were missing in the stories because global reporting still privileges the voices of powerful elites, both local and international. These include experts, politicians, national leaders, international organisations and others. Very little attention is given to ordinary citizens and other traditionally marginalised voices like young people, women, traditional leaders etc. Once again, The Guardian is in first place with a score of 62% for the range of diverse voices in its articles. Russia Today ranked at number 20 with a score of 36%.
  • For the ‘depth of coverage’ on their stories, overall, all 20 outlets generally performed well across the four sub-indicators of balance, context, framing, and avoidance of stereotypes.
  • Balance — the only outlet that scored below 75% is CGNT, which is in the 20th place with a score of 68%. Deutsche Welle and Le Monde share the first place with a score of 94%. 
  • Context — most outlets offered detailed information to aid reader comprehension, including hyperlinks and context sections within news stories. Le Monde’s score of 95% put it ahead of the rest in first position. Once again Washington Post’s score of 69% puts it in 20th place.
  • Stereotype avoidance was generally good across outlets despite some variance. Coming in at number one is Xinhua with a score of 97%. The Economist is in the 20th position with a score of 80%. 

The Global Media Index for Africa is the first of what we hope will be a regular ‘health check’ on global media coverage of Africa. The monitoring tool aims to hold a mirror up to global media, allowing them to critically examine their storytelling about Africa and understand its impact. It is our hope that the Global Media Index for Africa will contribute to a larger discussion about the role of global media in perpetuating and sustaining stereotypical narratives about Africa.