Comparing African media coverage of the crisis in Darfur South African Mail and Guardian and Egypt’s Al Ahram Arabic daily and Al Ahram English Weekly Tamara Swenson Cari Skogberg Eastman School of Journalism and Mass Communication CU-Boulder

Reasons for differences in national media coverage  national commonality and interest in Sudan?  ownership, financing and operations of news medium?

South Africa: commonality with Sudan?  Both former colonies  Turbulent transitions  Multiple ethnic and religious differences

South African media: Large foreign investment  Rated #1 or “free” by Freedom House  Media considered watchdog of government Mail and Guardian  Started in 1985 as Weekly Mail, critic of apartheid, owned by many smallshareholders  Becomes first online daily in Africa (1994)  87.5% ownership sold to Botswana's Trevor Ncube in 2002

February 2003: Start of crisis in Darfur according to Human Rights Watch July 27, 2004: AU agrees to increase monitoring force to 2,000 troops in Darfur December 26, 2004: Tsunami March 19, 2003: Iraq War II starts August 2003: SLA attacks weapons storage sites; Sudanese government continues to arm Janjaweed militias June 30, 2004: Kofi Annan and Colin Powell visit Darfur

Mail & Guardian on Darfur Use of Terms  genocide, ethnic cleansing, oil Framing  What happened / what should be done (90%) Minimal inclusion of historic background / causes  Blame  Janjaweed & Sudan Gov’t (50%)  Ending  Combined Int’l & Domestic  Reason for Crisis (If included)  Ethnic and / or racial Government inequity Who gets quoted?  Sudanese / UN officials / Rebels / AU or African government reps  Occasionally: NGOs  Missing (mostly): Darfur villagers, Refugees, Janjaweed

Making Sense of M&G Coverage Agency used in article determined frame of article  Guardian news agency : More emotional, descriptive, sensational  Other Agencies: SAPA & AFP distribution of resources or political / economic marginalization as one of the reasons African issue with South Africa in a leadership position  Solution to Darfur to be found in the African Union

Moving to neighboring Egyptian news media  Any national commonality and Egyptian interest in Sudan?  Egypt controlled both North and South Sudan before Sudanese independence: ties strained and cordial at different periods since  Primary issue: Sudan’s control of Nile waters Media control in Egypt  Law: media must uphold foundations of society, guarantee unity, social peace  80% of publishers media state-owned, President appoints editors: news media are “voice of government”

By Month: Al Ahram English Weekly February 2003: Start of crisis in Darfur (Human Rights Watch) July 27, 2004: AU agrees to increase monitoring force to 2,000 troops in Darfur December 26, 2004: Tsunami March 19, 2003: Iraq War II starts August 2003: SLA attacks weapons storage sites; Sudanese government continues to arm Janjaweed militias June 30, 2004: Kofi Annan and Colin Powell visit Darfur

Al Ahram English Weekly  Author listed (40 of 44)  Terms  Focus: What happened / What should be done  Cause (infrequent) Blame Responsible for ending crisis Perception of emotional intensity of articles Voices heard, unheard

By Month: Al Ahram (Arabic) February 2003: Start of crisis in Darfur (Human Rights Watch) July 27, 2004: AU agrees to increase monitoring force to 2,000 troops in Darfur December 26, 2004: Tsunami March 19, 2003: Iraq War II starts August 2003: SLA attacks weapons storage sites; Sudanese government continues to arm Janjaweed militias June 30, 2004: Kofi Annan and Colin Powell visit Darfur

Al Ahram (Arabic) on Darfur Terms  genocide:  Oil  Focus: conduct and/or remedies (77%)  Causes (infrequent): When identified Blame: None (74%) Responsibility for ending conflict Voices Emotional intensity of articles

Making Sense of AA Coverage Al Ahram Weekly Reflects conflicted history between Egypt & Sudan Presents Darfur crisis as African (and Arab) issue Pan-African framing Al Ahram (Arabic) Intellectualizes discourse Rejects international role Pan-Arab framing Contests Western view

Al Ahram: A single viewpoint? Different markets: Arabic and English versions NOT identical  AA (Arabic): Frequent linkage to Iraq, Palestine  AAW (English): Minimal linkage to Iraq, Palestine Position of Egyptian government predominates  Arab League or African Union (under Egyptian leadership) should have a leading role in solution in Darfur

African media coverage of an African crisis  The Mail and Guardian in more distant South Africa had more articles than either Al Ahram newspapers in neighboring Egypt; M&G had longer articles the Arabic Al Ahram  Coverage in all three media took place when a non- African global leader discussed Darfur  Voices of the Darfurian victims seldom heard  Coverage of Al Ahram Arabic and English different although both of low intensity due to Egyptian media law  Limited space in all 3 media to causes of crisis