Description
Book SynopsisJournalists working in authoritarian countries contend with competing institutional logics. This is particularly the case in post-conflict countries, where journalistic practice is simultaneously shaped by historical antagonisms, global development initiatives, and the authoritarian state. While journalism schools and professional organizations speak a Western logic of objectivity and independence, political history instills a logic of subordination, and organizational business models instill a logic of financially motivated censorship. As more countries move away from democratic models, more and more journalists will face these seemingly irreconcilable pressures.Building on months of ethnographic work, Ruth Moon looks at journalistic practice in Rwanda, a country where journalism has developed into a stable field in the two and a half decades since the nation''s 1994 genocide. At the same time, its journalists, facing pressure to please the State, have lost confidence in themselves, a
Trade ReviewThis book is challenging in all the right ways. It challenges our assumptions about the role of autonomy in journalism through a nuanced dive into the overlapping pressures that shape news in semi-authoritarian contexts. It challenges how we understand the ways in which myths and narratives interact with structural constraints to limit what journalists do. It challenges our conceptions of the relationship between transnational journalism and local journalists operating in the Global South. And it challenges us to think about how journalism might look in the many other places that are confronting democratic backsliding and a diminished free press." - Matt Carlson, University of Minnesota
“Ruth Moon has produced a riveting 'insider' perspective that confronts deeply ingrained assumptions on journalism in Rwanda (and related African authoritarian contexts) and offers a stellar intervention that shows how journalism, and its inner workings vary considerably across the globe. If the ultimate test of the impact of a journalism scholarly book is its transformative potential both to the discipline and on practice and policy, then Authoritarian Journalism can clearly be counted among such innovative pieces of scholarly work.” Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara , University of Glasgow
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why Study Rwandan Journalism? Chapter One: On the Margins: Understanding Peripheral Journalism Chapter Two: Strong State, Weak Field: The Forces Shaping Journalism in Rwanda Chapter Three: Founding Myths: Stories as Building Blocks of Journalism Practice Chapter Four: Underbaked or Unrealized: "Underdevelopment" as a Journalistic Keyword Chapter Five: Money Matters: The News Values of Business Pressure Chapter Six: Bridging Worlds: Working Global While Living Local Conclusion: What is Weak Journalism Good For? The Power and Potential of Peripheral Practice
