"Sustained media interest in African countries, funded from deep pockets in Beijing, may well attract admirers if the coverage is positive or uncritical. The forward-looking narrative promoted by 'constructive' or 'positive' reporting may help developing nations by not crushing them under too much e ... arly scrutiny. However, lacunae in CCTV [China Central Television]. Africa's critical focus harm its overall journalistic credibility, no matter how widely its features and some of its news reporting are praised. African journalism - rooted in Western traditions — is acquiring the tools to hold its own leaders to account. CCTV Africa may disseminate Chinese soft power, but its state media position militates against the notion that it can be a source of soft power itself." (Page 117) more