This book contributes to a broadened theorisation of journalism by exploring the intricacies of
African journalism and its connections with the material realities that underpin the profession
on the continent. It pulls together theoretically driven studies that collectively deploy a
wide range of evidence to shed some light on newsmaking cultures in Africa ¿ the everyday
routines defining epistemologies as well as ethical dilemmas. The volume digs beneath the
standardised and universalised veneer of professionalism to unpack routine practices and
normative trends shaped by local factors including the structural conditions of deprivation
entrenched political instability (and interference) pervasive neo-patrimonial governance
systems and the influences of technological developments. These varied and complex
circumstances are shown to profoundly shape the foundations of journalism in Africa resulting
in routine practices that are both normatively distinct and equally in tune with (imported)
Western journalistic cultures. The book thus broadly points to the dialectical nature of news
production and the inconsistent and contradictory relationships that characterise news
production cultures in Africa.
