About the lecture
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 his new book, The Ethics of Engagement (Oxford University Press) 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.
About the speaker
Herman Wasserman is professor of media studies and director of the Centre for Film and Media Studies, University of Cape Town. A former journalist, Wasserman has published widely on media, democracy and ethics in Africa. He is editor-in-chief of the journal African Journalism Studies.