African journalists condemn Western media racist reporting on Ukraine

Published: March 04,2022

By staff writer

The Foreign Press Association, Africa (FPAA) based in Nairobi-Kenya, has strongly condemned the racist coverage of the war in Ukraine by western journalists. In a statement released on Tuesday, the FPAA stated that it is “disturbed by the unfortunate opinions that our Western colleagues continue to publicly express about the distinction they see between war and suffering in Ukraine and those that have taken place in poor countries.”

The statement reminds that the idea put forward by western journalists that war is a thing that happens in lands outside of the west, is beyond myopic. It is gross misrepresentation of the entirety of human history. People who are not white are not more innately prone and habituated to violence and suffering. People who are not white are no less civil or incapable of solving conflicts.

This attitude has been a feature of western media coverage of Africa for decades. It is glaring in the lack of dignity afforded to black and brown skinned victims of conflict. It is also seen in the lack of nuance and empathy given to people suffering from war and other man-made emergencies (including climate change). While its appearance in the case of Ukraine is not surprising, it is irresponsible, reprehensible, and should not be in any was associated with such an important profession.

News organizations need diversity urgently, and not just out in “the filed,” with black and brown people working for low pay and worse protection as fixers and translators. This diversity must be represented in the organizations’ public faces and voices, and, most importantly, in their leadership. It is clear this leadership is needed to steer western newsrooms in their international coverage and it is necessary that it be proactive in putting a lid on racist reporting and commentary, without needing to be prompted by public outrage. Amidst the carnage and terror, these events provide a moment of reckoning to make journalism better – a goal that should be shared by every person who is privileged to ply this trade.

Journalism is a tool that can break the york of racism. The biased and troubling statements made by our western colleagues must be condemned in equal measure, as must be made clear the suffering that violence inflicts on civilians around the world. The Foreign Press Association, Africa (FPAA) statement seen by Africa-China Review, was signed by Kennedy Wandera, Douglas Okwach, Hiba Morgan, who are the chairman, secretary and treasurer of FPAA respectively

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