Reporting conflict in Africa

<jats:p> The quality of reporting African conflicts by Western media has declined in recent years as budgets have been cut and the number of correspondents has been reduced. Falling coverage has meant that audiences are unfamiliar with even the most basic facts about most African states. Most news stories must start from first principles, leaving little room for nuance and detail. This article, drawing on nearly three decades of first-hand experience, explains the pressures faced in reporting developing stories in complex emergencies. These include persuading editors of the need to cover events in countries that rarely appear in the Western media to the difficulties of interpreting journalistic standards written to meet the needs of domestic news coverage. This comes as the demand to satisfy the needs of an ever-expanding range of outlets has never been greater, including radio, television and online media. In the circumstances, careful preparation and a highly professional and supportive editorial team in a journalist’s home base are essential for a successful assignment. </jats:p>