Prof Herman Wasserman (Stellenbosch University): Meddling in the media | Media in Africa #8
No media is free of influence. What matters is who's doing the influencing, and whether they're telling you about it. In this episode of The Media in Africa Podcast, Georja Calvin Smith speaks to Professor Herman Wasserman, Director of the Centre for Information Integrity in Africa at Stellenbosch University, about the big ideas filtered through what Africans read, watch and share: state ownership, old colonial broadcasters, Chinese investment, paid influencers and covert foreign campaigns. They talk about why struggling newsrooms are easier to capture, how US political vocabulary is migrating into African debates, and how tailoring a narrative can turn real concerns into political tools for off continent interests. As technology affects the making and meaning of media, Georja asks whether African newsrooms are ready for AI. Wasserman’s answer: "I think the short answer is no."
Media in Africa is a Meridian17 podcast on the people who make African media — press freedom, funding, shifting audiences and how the continent is covered abroad — hosted by Georja Calvin-Smith. Produced in partnership with the KAS Media Programme Sub-Saharan Africa; editorial control rests with Meridian17.