The challenge of competing loyalties for journalists in non-Western cultures
One of the major differences between media practices in the Global South versus media practices in the Global North is that journalists in the South feel that they are under much higher pressure than journalists in the North. That journalists in transitional countries often face political pressure is well documented, but the types of felt pressure span widely from external to internal pressure; from political, economic, and personal network pressure to direct influences in the news production processes caused by sources, colleagues, and superiors in the newsroom. As will be seen in this chapter, the various sources of influence in the news-making process are reported by the journalists themselves to be more severe in developing countries than in industrialized countries on almost any dimension. The purpose of this contribution is twofold. First, it seeks to verify that the influence in media production is more acutely felt by journalists in the South than in the North on a range of different indicators. This will be demonstrated by comparing empirical data from a survey conducted among journalists in ten selected countries in Africa and Asia with similar survey data collected among journalists in the same number of countries in Western Europe and North America. Second, the contribution will discuss what impact the situation of multifaceted pressure has on journalism culture in non-Western countries. I will argue that the incessant condition of competing loyalties has an impact on professional identity in journalistic cultures in the Global South. Journalism culture in the non-Western world is relatively less defined by established professional standards and is shaped by an array of non-professional influences, making local journalism culture more complex.
Publisert i 2023
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