Afro-Pessimism and Negative Reporting on South Africa During the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Abstract

How the media portray Africa and the African news or stories has for long been viewed with disdain and dislike by the native Africans who feel that they are unfairly presented by the western media. Therefore, to better understand these portrayals, this study evaluated five online newspapers in the United Kingdom (UK) that covered the World Cup event in South Africa. Results show that UK media framing of Africa tends to be heavily skewed at portraying Africa in a negative light. The media therefore, should ensure that framing of African reportage is divorced from the tendency of viewing Africa with negative lens. This will consequently culminate into reporting about Africa in a fair and balanced manner.

Keywords: Media, Framing, News, Africa, South Africa, World Cup