The African Press, Civic Cynicism, and Democracy

289 Pages·2008·1.748 MB·English

by  Minabere Ibelema (auth.)

The African Press, Civic
Cynicism, and Democracy
Palgrave Macmillan Series in International
Political Communication
Series editor: Philip Seib, University of Southern California (USA)
From democratization to terrorism, economic development to conflict
resolution, global political dynamics are affected by the increasing perva-
siveness and influence of communication media. This series examines the
participants and their tools, their strategies and their impact. It offers a mix
of comparative and tightly focused analyses that bridge the various ele-
ments of communication and political science included in the field of inter-
national studies. Particular emphasis is placed on topics related to the rapidly
changing communication environment that is being shaped by new
technologies and new political realities. This is the evolving world of inter-
national political communication.
Editorial Board Members:
Hussein Amin, American University in Cairo (Egypt)
Robin Brown, University of Leeds (UK)
Eytan Gilboa, Bar-Ilan University (Israel)
Steven Livingston, George Washington University (USA)
Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science (UK)
Holli Semetko, Emory University (USA)
Ingrid Volkmer, University of Melbourne (Australia)
Books Appearing in this Series
Media and the Politics of Failure: Great Powers, Communication
Strategies, and Military Defeats
By Laura Roselle
The CNN Effect in Action: How the News Media Pushed the West toward
War in Kosovo
By Babak Bahador
Media Pressure on Foreign Policy: The Evolving Theoretical Framework
By Derek B. Miller
New Media and the New Middle East
Edited by Philip Seib
The African Press, Civic Cynicism, and Democracy
By Minabere Ibelema
The African Press, Civic
Cynicism, and Democracy
Minabere Ibelema
THE AFRICAN PRESS, CIVIC CYNICISM, AND DEMOCRACY
Copyright © Minabere Ibelema, 2008.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 ISBN 978-1-4039-8201-8
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in 2008 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS
Companies and representatives throughout the world.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom
and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-53897-3 ISBN 978-0-230-61049-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/978-1-349-53896-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ibelema, Minabere.
The African press, civic cynicism, and democracy / Minabere Ibelema.
p. cm.—(Palgrave Macmillan series in international political
communication)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1–4039–8201–5 (alk. paper)
1. Democracy—Africa. 2. Press and politics—Africa. 3. Africa—Politics
and government—1960– 4. Political corruption—Africa. I. Title.
JQ1879.A15I24 2008
306.2096—dc22 2007016060
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: January 2008
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the Nuhu Ribadus and John Githongos of Africa,
including the ordinary people who in their little
spheres take a stand against civic cynicism.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
List of Tables ix
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xv
1 Uncertain Prospects for Democracy 1
2 The Emergent Independent Press 11
3 Journalism Values and the African Press 33
4 Civic Cynicism 41
5 Consolidating Democracy 69
6 The Nigerian Press and the First Republic 93
7 Military Coups and Press/Public Support 119
8 Press Reembrace of Democracy 145
9 Civic Cynicism and Disordered Democracy 183
10 Combating Civic Cynicism 225
Postscript: A Groundswell of Social Capital 255
Notes 259
References 261
Index 275
This page intentionally left blank
Tables
2.1 Literacy Rates and Media Reach in Selected
African Countries 25
7.1 Selected African Coups in Chronological
Order (1950–2006) 121
10.1 E xpenditure on Clothing and Shoes
for Selected Countries 245