Simon Allison on the Future of African Media

Rapid changes in technology are fundamentally changing how media is consumed across the world. Nowhere is that more true than Africa. In 2010, only 10% of Africans used the internet regularly--a figure that has quadrupled over the last decade. The rise of the mobile-first generation has contributed to a growth in digital media, especially in the region's booming megacities. But is all access good access? The popularity of platforms like WhatsApp may mean that news spreads like wildfire, but with it often comes the proliferation of false and hateful content. In South Africa, journalist Simon Allison is reclaiming the platform for good through The Continent, Africa's first WhatsApp-based newspaper produced in partnership with preeminent paper The Mail & Guardian. By using the same viral networks exploited by disseminators of disinformation, The Continent aims to counter the fake news on people’s phones with real news. In this episode, he discusses how the publication is pioneering a platform by Africans for Africans and how journalists on the ground are navigating a changing industry amidst COVID-19. Host: Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, Jr., Founder and Principal, Botho Emerging Markets Group