Book chapter
Endogenous ‘Precarious Professionalism’ in African Newswork
Newswork and Precarity, pp.151-169
Routledge
2022
Abstract
Although each of Africa's 46 sub-Saharan1 (SSA) countries has its own distinctive news-making culture (Mabweazara, 2018), hyper-insecurity of news work employment is one of several cross-continental commonalities. Low and erratic pay, limited welfare provision, and tenure insecurity has become characteristic of most African news organizations, public and private. Factors like these contribute to an endogenous “precarious professionalism” in news work. Moreover, the parlous working conditions of African journalists are inherent to employment environments and not exogenous interruptions to an expected pattern of stability and levels of remuneration conducive to a base-level sense of security and wellbeing. This chapter describes elements of the historical trajectory of this more “ingrained precarity” in different African countries and provides contemporary examples. It suggests some possible lines of explanation for the ongoing and arguably worsening contradiction at the heart of much African news work.
Details
- Title
- Endogenous ‘Precarious Professionalism’ in African Newswork
- Authors
- Harry Dugmore (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Contributors
- Kalyani Chadha (Editor) - Northwestern UniversityLinda Steiner (Editor) - University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Publication details
- Newswork and Precarity, pp.151-169
- Publisher
- Routledge
- DOI
- 10.4324/9781003057376-14; 10.4324/9781003057376
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99597808902621
- Output Type
- Book chapter
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