
Press Freedom and the (Crooked) Path Toward Democracy
Lessons from Journalists in East Africa
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 21. September 2023
Book
Hardback
174 pages
978-0-19-763420-2 (ISBN)
Description
Media scholars generally suggest that as people gain access to mass media content, they increasingly support democracy and reject authoritarian rule. Much of the scholarship classifying global media systems has overlooked the world's most developing nations, and among those that have included developing nations, there exists a misguided premise that nations develop in a linear fashion: from non-democracy to democracy, and from a restricted press to a free press. This book shows that much of what scholarship depicts about media systems of developing nations is wrong. In reality, the ebb-and-flow of political change, democratization and backsliding calls for more historically informed views of media systems that do not fit into the confines of existing theories.
Using the perceptions of journalists in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya to examine mediascapes at varying stages of development and democracy-building, this book examines the advancement of media and press freedom at varying stages of national development. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork and a cross-national survey, this book provides an updated state of press freedom in these three countries and shows how a nation's political and cultural intricacies complicate traditional media development frameworks and notions of press freedom. A detailed set of considerations are put forth for understanding media systems outside the Western world; specifically, that each country's distance from conflict, political benchmarks, international linkages, and civil society strength are central to understanding its degree of press freedom, development and democratization.
Using the perceptions of journalists in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya to examine mediascapes at varying stages of development and democracy-building, this book examines the advancement of media and press freedom at varying stages of national development. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork and a cross-national survey, this book provides an updated state of press freedom in these three countries and shows how a nation's political and cultural intricacies complicate traditional media development frameworks and notions of press freedom. A detailed set of considerations are put forth for understanding media systems outside the Western world; specifically, that each country's distance from conflict, political benchmarks, international linkages, and civil society strength are central to understanding its degree of press freedom, development and democratization.
Reviews / Votes
This volume brings new insights into press freedom challenges in three neighbouring East African countries which have different media histories. The book is particularly strong in connecting the media situation with the broader political and social situation in each of the three countries. * Terje Skjerdal, Associate Professor in Global Journalism, NLA University College, Norway * This book is a testimony to the intellectual capital invested in it. Oftentimes, we come across pseudo intellectualism as some scholars pontificate from ivory towers far removed from their physical areas of research. Not so in this case. The authors immersed themselves in East Africa and interacted with journalists whose lived experiences added authenticity and nuances to this work. This book will sharpen any reader's understanding of the intersection of press freedom and democracy in East Africa. * Uche Onyebadi, Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism, Bob Schieffer College of Communication, Texas Christian University, Editor: International Communication Research Journal * This is an important volume illustrating, with an enviable richness of data, the troubled trail to freedom of the press in the African countries leaving aside Western prejudices and bias. * Paolo Mancini, Formerly Full Professor of Communication, Department of Political Sciences, University of Perugia, Italy. * This is a terrific volume which catapults Africa into the global journalism scholarship. Cohen and McIntyre have relied on sound empirical data corpus to provide an insightful historical account of inter-twined factors that have shaped the evolution of press freedom in Eastern Africa. * Kioko Ireri, Associate Professor of Journalism & Mass Communication, United States International University-Africa, Kenya. * The authors use journalists' voices and the region's troubled history to give an update on press freedom in a region that is always cited by most press freedom indices as struggling. What makes the book valuable though is its examination of the unique characteristics of media politics like long stay in power, international linkages, status of the civil society, among others, as the region's entry point into the global discussion on media systems. * Brian Semujju, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Journalism and Communication, Makerere University, Uganda. *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 156 mm
Width: 235 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-763420-2 (9780197634202)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Meghan Sobel Cohen | Karen McIntyre Hopkinson
Press Freedom and the (Crooked) Path Toward Democracy
Lessons from Journalists in East Africa
Book
12/2023
Oxford University Press Inc
€29.50
Shipment within 15-20 days

Meghan Sobel Cohen | Karen McIntyre Hopkinson
Press Freedom and the (Crooked) Path Toward Democracy
Lessons from Journalists in East Africa
E-Book
03/2023
OUP eBook
€18.49
Available for download

Meghan Sobel Cohen | Karen McIntyre Hopkinson
Press Freedom and the (Crooked) Path Toward Democracy
Lessons from Journalists in East Africa
E-Book
03/2023
OUP eBook
€18.49
Available for download
Persons
Meghan Sobel Cohen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and the Master of Development Practice at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Cohen's research focuses on digital development and the role of news media in combating human rights abuses and humanitarian crises around the world, particularly in East Africa. She has given a TEDx talk about sex trafficking that has been viewed more than 1.5 million times and she has published in journals such as Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Communication, African Journalism Studies and International Communication Gazette. She has a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.A. from the University of Denver and B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Karen McIntyre Hopkinson is an Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University in
Richmond, Virginia. Her international and interdisciplinary research focuses on journalism processes and effects. More specifically, she studies socially responsible forms of journalism, such as constructive journalism and solutions journalism. She also studies press freedom and journalism practice in East Africa and served as a Fulbright scholar in Rwanda during the 2018-19 academic year. Dr. McIntyre received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her master's from University of California, Berkeley, and her bachelor's from California State University, Chico. She has traveled to more than 40 countries and is originally from Lake Tahoe, California.
Karen McIntyre Hopkinson is an Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University in
Richmond, Virginia. Her international and interdisciplinary research focuses on journalism processes and effects. More specifically, she studies socially responsible forms of journalism, such as constructive journalism and solutions journalism. She also studies press freedom and journalism practice in East Africa and served as a Fulbright scholar in Rwanda during the 2018-19 academic year. Dr. McIntyre received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her master's from University of California, Berkeley, and her bachelor's from California State University, Chico. She has traveled to more than 40 countries and is originally from Lake Tahoe, California.
Author
Associate ProfessorAssociate Professor, Regis University
Associate Professor of Multimedia JournalismAssociate Professor of Multimedia Journalism, Virginia Commonwealth University
Content
1. Introduction: East Africa Media Histories and Critique of Existing Frameworks
2. Rwanda: A Linear Progression Toward Press Freedom and Democracy?
3. Uganda: Ebbs and Flows in Press Freedom and Democracy in The Pearl of Africa
4. Kenya: Despite Challenges, Growing Press Freedom in The Gateway to East Africa
5. Democracy's Hiccups: Factors that Regress and Progress Press Freedom
6. Conclusion: A Call for New Considerations in Understanding Press Freedom
Appendix
2. Rwanda: A Linear Progression Toward Press Freedom and Democracy?
3. Uganda: Ebbs and Flows in Press Freedom and Democracy in The Pearl of Africa
4. Kenya: Despite Challenges, Growing Press Freedom in The Gateway to East Africa
5. Democracy's Hiccups: Factors that Regress and Progress Press Freedom
6. Conclusion: A Call for New Considerations in Understanding Press Freedom
Appendix