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 ten-part podcast by Meridian17, a Dutch-South African think and do tank, produced in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Media Programme Sub-Saharan Africa. New episodes weekly. Full video episodes: www.youtube.com/@meridian17org All platforms and more: meridian17.org/podcast Follow @meridian17org on Instagram and TikTok.

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