The need for multi-faceted journalism and story telling about Africa - not "just" so-called sunshine journalism and not "just" corruption, poverty and doom and gloom - is what is needed from journalists across the continent to help Africa move forward, said media bosses and experts talking at the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013 media forum.
Speaking at a CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013 media forum held on Robben Island in Cape Town and attended by hundreds of journalists from across Africa, media bosses from across the continent also implored journalists to keep the bigger picture in mind.
They asked journalists to write, broadcast and tell stories which helps to explains to a tea grower in Zambia why unrest in Egypt is important - because Zambian tea is sold Egypt and that what happens in one country in Africa has an impact on other countries.
"We need to maintain multi-faceted story telling," said panelist Kim Norgaard, CNN's African bureaux chief. "We [CNN International] are able to cover awful things like the Westgate terror attack in Kenya but we've made the commitment to also tell all the other stories about Africa. We have to keep in mind and make a commitment as African journalists that we have many roles and musn't stop telling our stories," he said.
Kim Norgaard said Africa has major issues and the stories need to be told. "There needs to be a commitment to look beyond borders".
Angela Quintal, editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper in South Africa and also one of the 4 person panel, said "sunshine journalism" - the term for mostly overtly positive stories with a less critical slant - has a place. "It's an issue of empowering people and showing that there's also good being done. Not 'sunshine journalism' but showing that there is something more in a country, going beyond stories of just corruption and crime."
Angela Quintal said that she was disappointed when she looked at South Africa's three 24-hour TV news channels - SABC News (DStv 404), ANN7 (DStv 405) and eNCA (DStv 403) during the Westgate tragedy and how bad and non-existent the coverage was.
She said she had to turn to international TV news channels and CNN to get first-hand reporting and information as to what was happening during the terror drama which played out in Kenya a few weeks ago.
Panelist Debo Adesina, the editor-in-chief of The Guardian in Nigeria said African journalists and African media houses and publications' goal should be "how can we use what we have now to make Nigerian stories for instance relevant to Ugandans. Bigger collaboration is needed between media houses across Africa. News collaboration would do a lot to help tell better stories about Africa," he said.
"Every week I hope to contribute in not just changing the world's perception about Africa, but Africa's perception about itself," said Kim Norgaard.
"A free press in the African continent is hard fought for. We need to hold people accountable. It's up to all of us. In many ways we need to stop and also be proud of what the continent has created in the last 15 years. We have a vibrant, independent media. Sure we have problems on the continent, but we have a great group of journalists covering this continent," said Kim Norgaard.
ALSO READ: Several TV journalism winners in the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013.
