Chris Paterson – författare

Through innovative research studies and expert commentaries, this book documents the fast evolving invention of the relationship between the millions of social media and mobile phone users around Africa and traditional purveyors of news. Whilst social media demonstrates an unprecedented ability for the politically engaged to both bypass and influence traditional information flows, it also faces unique circumstances through much of Africa. Signs of social change brought by mobile technology are evident around the continent, raising questions about the nature of information exchange and citizenship. Working from a wide variety of perspectives and methodologies, the contributors to this collection address key questions emerging from rapid communication change in Africa. This book reveals how new, participatory, interactive communications technologies are enabling new tellings of Africa’s stories.This book was originally published as a special issue of Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies.

International news has long been studied and understood as produced by outsiders – foreign correspondents working in exotic, international locales. This book challenges this established view by putting the spotlight on the insiders working in their own countries producing news for international audiences.Western male foreign correspondents who report from areas affected by crises and conflicts for an ‘audience back home’ have long stood in as visible metaphors of international news production. But the understanding of who produces international news is starting to shift as scholars come to take into account the often-invisible role played by locally based, non-Western news-workers who have always been part and parcel of international news production. The roles and responsibilities of these professional, specialised locals within the global flow of news have only increased as falling news industry revenues have meant reductions in non-local staff in foreign news bureaus. Available research shows that the involvement of local journalists and fixers, as well as NGOs, as sources of news and information in international news production is marked by economic, socio-cultural and practice-related tensions. To shed light on these growing yet relatively less investigated changes happening in international news-making, this book brings together the latest of studies conducted on this form of journalistic labour around the world.This book will contribute to both the breadth and depth of our future understanding of local news-work that benefits distant audiences, and also help cement the place of such journalistic work as a vital topic of analysis in its own right.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journalism Studies.

International news has long been studied and understood as produced by outsiders – foreign correspondents working in exotic, international locales. This book challenges this established view by putting the spotlight on the insiders working in their own countries producing news for international audiences.Western male foreign correspondents who report from areas affected by crises and conflicts for an ‘audience back home’ have long stood in as visible metaphors of international news production. But the understanding of who produces international news is starting to shift as scholars come to take into account the often-invisible role played by locally based, non-Western news-workers who have always been part and parcel of international news production. The roles and responsibilities of these professional, specialised locals within the global flow of news have only increased as falling news industry revenues have meant reductions in non-local staff in foreign news bureaus. Available research shows that the involvement of local journalists and fixers, as well as NGOs, as sources of news and information in international news production is marked by economic, socio-cultural and practice-related tensions. To shed light on these growing yet relatively less investigated changes happening in international news-making, this book brings together the latest of studies conducted on this form of journalistic labour around the world.This book will contribute to both the breadth and depth of our future understanding of local news-work that benefits distant audiences, and also help cement the place of such journalistic work as a vital topic of analysis in its own right.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journalism Studies.

Through innovative research studies and expert commentaries, this book documents the fast evolving invention of the relationship between the millions of social media and mobile phone users around Africa and traditional purveyors of news. Whilst social media demonstrates an unprecedented ability for the politically engaged to both bypass and influence traditional information flows, it also faces unique circumstances through much of Africa. Signs of social change brought by mobile technology are evident around the continent, raising questions about the nature of information exchange and citizenship. Working from a wide variety of perspectives and methodologies, the contributors to this collection address key questions emerging from rapid communication change in Africa. This book reveals how new, participatory, interactive communications technologies are enabling new tellings of Africa’s stories.This book was originally published as a special issue of Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies.

War Reporters Under Threat describes the threat of violence facing war reporters from the United States government and some of its closest allies.Chris Paterson argues that what should have been the lesson for the press following the invasion of Iraq - that they will be treated instrumentally by the US government - has been mostly ignored. As a result, even nominally democratic states cannot be counted upon to protect journalists in conflict, and urgent reform of legal protections for journalists is required.War Reporters Under Threat combines critical scholarship with original investigation to assess the impact of the US government's obsession with information control and protection of its own troops. While the press-military relationship has been well researched, this book is the first to elaborate the US government threat to journalists.

War Reporters Under Threat describes the threat of violence facing war reporters from the United States government and some of its closest allies.Chris Paterson argues that what should have been the lesson for the press following the invasion of Iraq - that they will be treated instrumentally by the US government - has been mostly ignored. As a result, even nominally democratic states cannot be counted upon to protect journalists in conflict, and urgent reform of legal protections for journalists is required.War Reporters Under Threat combines critical scholarship with original investigation to assess the impact of the US government's obsession with information control and protection of its own troops. While the press-military relationship has been well researched, this book is the first to elaborate the US government threat to journalists.

This anthology explores challenges to understanding the nature of cultural production, exploring innovative new research approaches and improvements to old approaches, such as newsroom ethnography, which will enable clearer, fuller understanding of the workings of journalism and other forms of media and cultural production.

Africa’s Media Image in the 21st Century is the first book in over twenty years to examine the international media’s coverage of sub-Saharan Africa. It brings together leading researchers and prominent journalists to explore representation of the continent, and the production of that image, especially by international news media. The book highlights factors that have transformed the global media system, changing whose perspectives are told and the forms of media that empower new voices.Case studies consider questions such as: how has new media changed whose views are represented? Does Chinese or diaspora media offer alternative perspectives for viewing the continent? How do foreign correspondents interact with their audiences in a social media age? What is the contemporary role of charity groups and PR firms in shaping news content? They also examine how recent high profile events and issues been covered by the international media, from the Ebola crisis, and Boko Haram to debates surrounding the "Africa Rising" narrative and neo-imperialism.The book makes a substantial contribution by moving the academic discussion beyond the traditional critiques of journalistic stereotyping, Afro-pessimism, and ‘darkest Africa’ news coverage. It explores the news outlets, international power dynamics, and technologies that shape and reshape the contemporary image of Africa and Africans in journalism and global culture.

Africa’s Media Image in the 21st Century is the first book in over twenty years to examine the international media’s coverage of sub-Saharan Africa. It brings together leading researchers and prominent journalists to explore representation of the continent, and the production of that image, especially by international news media. The book highlights factors that have transformed the global media system, changing whose perspectives are told and the forms of media that empower new voices.Case studies consider questions such as: how has new media changed whose views are represented? Does Chinese or diaspora media offer alternative perspectives for viewing the continent? How do foreign correspondents interact with their audiences in a social media age? What is the contemporary role of charity groups and PR firms in shaping news content? They also examine how recent high profile events and issues been covered by the international media, from the Ebola crisis, and Boko Haram to debates surrounding the "Africa Rising" narrative and neo-imperialism.The book makes a substantial contribution by moving the academic discussion beyond the traditional critiques of journalistic stereotyping, Afro-pessimism, and ‘darkest Africa’ news coverage. It explores the news outlets, international power dynamics, and technologies that shape and reshape the contemporary image of Africa and Africans in journalism and global culture.

By analyzing the daily work of online journalists, this book investigates the production of online news: how it differs from traditional media production, and its consequences for the character and quality of online news. It advocates revitalization of the ethnographic methodologies of sociologists who entered newsrooms in the 1970s and 1980s, while simultaneously exploring new theoretical frameworks to better understand the evolution of online journalism and how newsrooms deal with innovation and change. This collection fills a gap in the field by offering ethnographic descriptions from sites of online news production in many countries, and provides insider perspectives on the real practices and values of new media production, documenting how these often differ from the claims of both producers and theorists.

By analyzing the daily work of online journalists, this book investigates the production of online news: how it differs from traditional media production, and its consequences for the character and quality of online news. It advocates revitalization of the ethnographic methodologies of sociologists who entered newsrooms in the 1970s and 1980s, while simultaneously exploring new theoretical frameworks to better understand the evolution of online journalism and how newsrooms deal with innovation and change. This collection fills a gap in the field by offering ethnographic descriptions from sites of online news production in many countries, and provides insider perspectives on the real practices and values of new media production, documenting how these often differ from the claims of both producers and theorists.

Online journalism has taken center stage in debates about the future of news. Instead of speculating, this volume offers rich empirical evidence about actual developments in online newsrooms. The authors use ethnographic methodologies to provide a vivid, close analysis of processes like newsroom integration, the transition of newspaper and radio journalists to digital multimedia production, the management of user-generated content, the coverage of electoral campaigns, the pressure of marketing logics, the relationship with bloggers or the redefinition of news genres. This second volume of Making Online News presents twelve all-new case studies of newsrooms around the world, including the United States of America, United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Zimbabwe and Malaysia.

For over half a century, a small set of London-based companies have either created or globally distributed most of the iconic television images of international events. These journalists play a leading role in shaping how we understand the world, yet there has been little study of them and their practices.This book attempts to rectify this gap by providing the first comprehensive study of how television news agencies work, and describing a system of news production which has shaped our shared visual history since the 1950s. Spanning over twenty years of data gathering, document analysis, video content analysis, news production ethnography, and interviews, the book discusses their crucial role as agents of globalization, how they manufacture our image of the world, and their dangerous work providing images of conflict.The book is a tribute to this small and largely unknown tribe of journalists, but is also a warning that the public might better understand the power and potential harm of the system in which they operate.

For over half a century, a small set of London-based companies have either created or globally distributed most of the iconic television images of international events. These journalists play a leading role in shaping how we understand the world, yet there has been little study of them and their practices.This book attempts to rectify this gap by providing the first comprehensive study of how television news agencies work, and describing a system of news production which has shaped our shared visual history since the 1950s. Spanning over twenty years of data gathering, document analysis, video content analysis, news production ethnography, and interviews, the book discusses their crucial role as agents of globalization, how they manufacture our image of the world, and their dangerous work providing images of conflict.The book is a tribute to this small and largely unknown tribe of journalists, but is also a warning that the public might better understand the power and potential harm of the system in which they operate.