mediadev library

Viola C. Milton, Winston Mano (eds.)

Oxford; New York: Routledge (2025), 380 pp.

"This book provides an important set of critical reflections from a selection of foundational scholars of African media and communication studies through biographical method. The book interrogates the center of mainstream academic scholarship by providing the foundational history and origins of an A ... more

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The Routledge Companion to Journalism in the Global South

Bruce Mutsvairo, Saba Bebawi, Eddy Borges-Rey (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), xxiv, 491 pp.

"Responding to mounting calls to decenter and decolonize journalism, The Routledge Companion to Journalism in the Global South examines not only the deep-seated challenges associated with the historical imposition of Western journalism standards on constituencies of the Global South but also the opp ... more

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Toward an African Media Typology: Preliminary Reflections

Levi Obonyo

Howard Journal of Communication, volume 35, issue 3 (2023), pp. 326–340

"Africans’ voices and contributions to communication scholarship are of interest to many Africanists. Some discourses have explored reasons for this interest. This article continues this conversation. It recognizes the challenges contributing to the limited influence of the African voice in global ... more

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The Global Handbook of Media Accountability
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Susanne Fengler, Tobias Eberwein, Matthias Karmasin (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2022), xviii, 614 pp.

"The Global Handbook of Media Accountability brings together leading scholars to 'de-Westernize' the academic debate on media accountability and discuss different models of media self-regulation and newsroom transparency around the globe. With examination of the status quo of media accountability in ... more

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Journalists in Kenya

Levi Obonyo, Hesbon Hansen Owilla

Worlds of Journalism Study (2016), 8 pp.

"It is fairly informative how journalists view their roles in the Kenyan society. Kenyan journalists found it most important to report things the way they are, to educate the audience and to promote tolerance and diversity. The relevance of these roles was fairly undisputed among the interviewed jou ... rnalists as the relatively low standard deviations (s=.75, s=.77, and s=.88 respectively) indicate. It is particularly noteworthy the notion of reporting things as they are and promoting tolerance. About a decade ago, the Kenyan media was perceived to have contributed to the spate of political violence that engulfed the country. The media has strenuously struggled to shed off that perception. Further, journalists tend to see themselves as objective and therefore it is little surprising that straight reporting scored highly on the list. Other roles with a standard deviation score less than s=1.0 included letting people express their views (81.1%, s=.89) and telling stories about the world (78.9%, s=.98). Providing analysis of current affairs was considered an important role by 81.7 percent of the respondents. The other roles, in their order of percentage scores and possibly relative importance, are indicated in Table 1 below. It is instructive what Kenyan journalists considered less important roles: conveying a positive image of political leadership (31.8%) and being an adversary of the government (36.1%). Nearly all roles related to politics are at the bottom of the table. This is a unique finding, as Kenyan media is often accused of being overly political. The headlines and lead stories are often all about politics. It is noteworthy that journalism in Kenya can sometimes be fairly adversarial in relation to the government. Given the promulgation of a new constitution nearly seven years ago, with clauses protective of media freedom, there is often a boldness in Kenyan media which is unique compared to the experiences of neighboring countries. Roles supportive of a development agenda scored somewhere in the middle of the table. This is an important and surprising perception as well. Kenya is a developing country and it would have been natural to expect that development was a default role for the media. But development-related responses scored 78.8 percent and 69.2 percent respectively. While this is still a high score, it is not among the top considerations of the media." (Journalistic roles, pages 3-4) more

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Media Councils in Africa

African Communication Research (St. Augustine University Mwanza), volume 5, issue 2 (2012), pp. 135-260

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Journalists and the Rule of Law

Levi Obonyo, Erneo Nyamboga

Nairobi: Kenya Section International Commission of Jurists; Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) (2011), iv, 102 pp.

"The book is particularly commendable for providing a one-stop for relevant sections of media laws and for providing essential legal tips including explanations of various legal terms. Its treatment of ethical issues in media practice is a plus. The book strikes a commendable balance of Law and Ethi ... more

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Towards a Theory of Communication for Africa: The Challenges for Emerging Democracies

Levi Obonyo

Communicatio: South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research, volume 37, issue 1 (2011), pp. 1-20

"While the scholarship on communication theory has evolved over many years in Africa it is still work in progress. This discourse has been anchored in society's cultural milieu. The import of this is that the debate has evolved without incorporating the realities of Africa. Consequently, theories of ... more

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Media and Post-Election Violence in Kenya

Mark Fackler, Levi Obonyo, Mitchell Terpstra, Emmanuel Okaalet

In: The Handbook of Global Communication and Media Ethics

Robert S. Fortner, Mark Fackler (eds.)

Chichester: Wiley Blackwell (2011), pp. 626-654

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The State of Media Freedom in Africa

African Communication Research (St. Augustine University Mwanza), volume 4, issue 2 (2011), pp. 221-388

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Peace Journalism Training in East Africa

Levi Obonyo

Media Development, issue 3 (2010), pp. 59-63

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Cartooning in Africa
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John A. Lent (ed.)

Cresskill: Hampton Press (2009), xi, 383 pp.

"This volume documents from historical and contemporary perspectives, the situations, trends and issues of cartooning in a number of African countries, and profiles the individuals, forms and phenomena that stand out. All types of cartooning are covered, including comic books, comic strips, gag and ... more

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The Global Handbook of Media Accountability
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Cartooning in Africa
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