Abstract
Ola Ogunyemi’s nuanced mapping of the news media available to the Black African diasporas living in Britain brings a valuable addition to the rich collection of studies examining diasporic and ethnic minority media. As the author explains in the introduction, the book has a dual focus. On the one hand, it examines the African diasporic media from the perspective of key normative concepts drawn from journalism studies, such as objectivity, gate keeping and news values. On the other hand, it seeks to demonstrate that the African diasporas constitute active audiences whose media preferences largely coincide with mainstream audience tastes, but also differ in their interest for particular culturally and religiously oriented programming. Methodologically the study combines onsite observation of five diasporic media organizations (the African Voice newspaper, the Africa Today magazine, the Voice of Africa Radio and the Bright Entertainment Network and the website Africa Have Your Say), interviews with media practitioners, documentary analysis and content analysis of selected news media products, as well as survey questionnaires and interviews with audience members.
After situating the study and its aims in the broader field of ethnic minority media research and normative approaches to the media, Ogunyemi first provides a critical examination of ownership and organizational structures, gate keeping and newsgathering processes at work in the African diasporic media. This is followed by a discussion of their objectivity, news values and ethics, based on the views of the media practitioners as well as quantitative and qualitative analysis of media content. The book then turns to the mapping of audience preferences and habits, followed by an analysis of two websites used by African diasporas. The concluding chapter reflects on the future of African diasporic media in Britain, focusing on the challenges and opportunities brought by new technologies and generational changes.