Newsweek’s coverage of the news in Africa: (November 2006 – January 2007)

Résumé du document

Newsweek is an American weekly magazine of news and commentary, published in New York City. In 2005, the magazine reported a national audience of more than 20 million; worldwide, its audience numbered almost 26 million in more than 190 countries. The magazine was founded in 1933. In 1937, Malcolm Muir took over as president and editor-in-chief. News-Week became Newsweek, and Muir emphasized more interpretative stories, introduced signed columns and international editions. The magazine was bought by the Washington Post Company in 1961, which continued to distinguish Newsweek from its rivals (Time and U.S. News & World Report), turning it more and more liberal. Until today, Newsweek is generally considered the most liberal of the three major newsweeklies of the U.S.

Extraits

[...] As already mentioned, Newsweek presents several soft topics, such as health, cinema, innovations, travelling, and the national as well as international news are always rarer among its pages. However, the national news remains a central issue in the magazine, as well as all the international news that may concern or preoccupy the U.S. professionals or the international managers who read the newsweekly. In Newsweek, we can find economic information, European and Asian news, and some pieces of news about Latin America. [...]

[...] Newsweek's coverage of the news in Africa (November 2006 January 2007) Newsweek is an American weekly magazine of news and commentary, published in New York City. In 2005, the magazine reported a national audience of more than 20 million; worldwide, its audience numbered almost 26 million in more than 190 countries. The magazine was founded in 1933. In 1937, Malcolm Muir took over as president and editor-in-chief. News-Week became Newsweek, and Muir emphasized more interpretative stories, introduced signed columns, and international editions. [...]

[...] Sub-Saharian Africa, and Africa as a whole, is the great absent of the news. Many editions don't possess a single article about Africa. It is only on Newsweek's web-site that there is more information about Africa, since there is an "Africa front page". There, we can find varied pieces of news, for example articles about the recent events in Somalia. These articles show a clear concern about democratic expression, insisting for instance on the imposition of martial law and on the closure of the Somali medias. One article refers to the U.S. [...]

[...] Some Western countries have been angered by the consequences of this new trade, for instance when China threatened to veto a 2004 UN Security Council resolution against Sudan to protect its oil interests there. The article tells how some civil-society groups of African countries also have criticized China and India to put their thirst for natural resources and energy ahead of good governance and human rights. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also highlight the regardlessness of the Chinese to the economy of the countries in which they invest. [...]

[...] The article reminds us that avoiding governments to siphon off profits and bring stability to the country would encourage foreign investment in modern mining techniques. Both candidates have promised to encourage foreign investment, but also to end corruption and share the mineral wealth with all the people. These promises aren't new, but at least and for once, people were able to choose which leader they wanted to believe. Another article presents the recent Chinese investments in Africa. According to Newsweek, South-south investment has increased. The summit in Beijing that received 48 African leaders was meant to cement Chinese influence in Africa. [...]