African journalism: A journey of failures and triumphs

Abstract

Introduction The 1990s remain epochal in the transformation of African journalism. This period coincides with the adoption of political pluralism in many African countries, an era that was attended by the broader liberalisation of African economies. The media sector, once dominated by the state, was finally opened to private enterprise. As a consequence, both the broadcast and print media sectors have since witnessed an unprecedented expansion with numerous radio and TV stations as well as newspapers set up across the continent. Examples across the continent show staggering growth. In Kenya, from just three TV stations and handful of print media in the 1990s, by 2012 the country had 301 radio stations, 83 TV stations, 20 monthly magazines, 6 dailies and 11 regular weeklies (Status of Media Survey Report, May, 2012). In Nigeria, in the print media sector alone, there were more than 100 national and local regular newspaper titles in 2012(Mapping Digital Media: Nigeria Report, 2012). In Uganda, the radio sector saw an explosion of FM radio stations in the late 1990s and today, these can be found in some of the remotest parts of the country. While the picture might be mixed in various pockets of the continent, the phenomenal growth of the media sector in general in the continent is certainly not overstated.