The impact of ethnocentric news values on the framing of Africa: A case study of African diasporic press in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Studies have consistently found that Western media negatively stereotype Africa. This was attributed to bias, but another perspective links it to ethnocentrism, which perpetuates the marginalisation and exclusion of minority and diasporic groups from the public sphere. This study examined the news content in and editorial perception of the five values that define professional journalism at African diasporic presses, for evidence of ethnocentrism. It found that the Nigerian Watch newspaper provides counter-stereotypical information and redefines African narratives from ethnocentric viewpoints. Paradoxically, it marginalises the mainstream group as sources and readers, while the public sphere is saturated with media fostering community cohesion among the in-group, rather than cross-cultural communication across racial divides.