In November, the @nytimes published an article about efforts in Asia to fight back COVID. They mentioned specifically 3 countries (Hong Kong, Korea and Japan) and outlined long histories of policy implementation by health officials in these nations trying to combat infections
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In Western Media, Africa has no epidemiologists, infectious disease specialists, no academics, no local journalists or medical associations are quoted. Just a vast maw of African horror witnessed only by the brave souls at the UN and the Africa bureaus of western papers.
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It is well documented that Western media love negative coverage when discussing Africa. A study once found that in a 40 year period of reporting on African issues, the New York Times, an average of 73% articles provided decidedly negative images of Africa. This has consequences
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The New York times is very influential, and is often what papers all over the world reference when writing on foreign events in general. Moreover, the NYT has demonstrable influence on direct action that governments take in response to disasters and other crises.
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Appearing in the New York times corresponded to an additional $52,000 per article towards humanitarian aid for victims of the 2004 Tsunami in South Asia, for example. Think of the direct actions taken in foreign nations &their support from the Western public.
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Thus it becomes clear that there is at least one industry invested in the repeated emphasis of disaster in Africa, and moreover in the idea of Africans being ill-prepared and in need of rescuing.
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An article that cites African leaders, individual nations or any experts from local universities would make NGOs obsolete, or at least bring into question the massive amount of aid being funneled “to Africa” via international aid agencies.
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There are thousands of foreign NGOs in Africa and there's money to be made and soft power to be expanded. And such a scheme does not go well with input from the hundreds of universities on the continent, 50+ ministries of health, numerous government bodies and so on.
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Western writes who insist on portraying Africa as a place of failure and no leadership, participate in the White Savior Industrial complex all other manner of systems that keep nations from the Global North in positions of dominance over their “former colonies.”
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COVID coverage in Africa ignores reality to instead reach for any other explanation that squares with a continent devoid of brains. Most writers lean on vague ideas about “genetics” and “immunity.” It smacks of “the tenacious physical traits of the negroid race” style thinking.
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I cannot think of any other way to explain a decided refusal to acknowledge the actions of nations like my native Botswana which, through strict lockdown measures instituted as early as February 2020, managed to keep COVID deaths to 45 by January 2021.
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It appears even as its own healthcare system is brought to its knees & exposed as a hollowed out shell of its former self, America’s media need a world where Africa can produce no solutions, can give no knowledge and is devoid of the power to positively influence the world
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Sources aka
#receipts! Asia Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/world/asia/covid-19-asia.html … Africa COVID article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/02/world/africa/africa-coronavirus-deaths-underreporting.html … Study on Africa in the NYT: https://doi.org/10.2307/1166825 Paper on NYT influence in US govt: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10584600390218896?needAccess=true … Tsunami NYT donations: https://doi.org/10.2307/20112025 …pic.twitter.com/vq2CRcpw7R
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If you found this useful, I'm glad! I wasn't able to place it in the right publication so I'm happy you found it here. If you're the payin' kind, feel free to donate late-night-grad-school-coffee-money to $Siyandawrites on
#cashapp. Otherwise, forward ever backwards neverpic.twitter.com/PLSDR3MjLhNäytä tämä ketju
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