Transforming Communities: Community Journalism in Africa
Abstract
Changes in the media landscape of sub-Saharan Africa and possibilities for increased citizen empowerment and social interaction are facilitated through the integration of community journalism and community media as process and mechanism. Citizens of the world are experiencing greater news and information services that affect the decisions of everyday life. Yet, in Sub-Saharan Africa, for the first time in their lives, citizens have the opportunity to engage in a partnership with media that allows people in diverse geographic settings to share in decision-making concerning issues that affect their future. This paper defines the concepts of community journalism and community media and shows how these concepts are able to make a difference in the lives of people.
Author Biography
Robert Moore
Dr Robert C. Moore is a Professor with the Department of Communications at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania.
Elizabethtown College
One Alpha Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298 USA
717-361-1252
717-361-1180 FAX
http://users.etown.edu/m/moorerc/
moorerc@etown.edu
Tamara Gillis
Tamara Gillis, professor of communications, teaches corporate communications and research courses at Elizabethtown College. Her most recent work include “The IABC Practical Guide for Professional Communication: A Global Standard Primer” (IABC, 2021). She is the author of numerous titles concerning workplace communication, organizational development, and change communication. Dr. Gillis serves as a corporate consultant and led the International Association of Business Communicators Executive Accreditation program at Royal Roads University.
Gillis is recognized globally for her work in education, training, change management and employee communication. Her research and consulting interests include change management, effective organizational design, and the impact of technology. She has served as a faculty member for the Institute for Shipboard Education’s Semester at Sea program and at Royal Roads University (Victoria, British Columbia) Centre for Applied Leadership and Management, as well as in mass media projects in Swaziland and Namibia. Research and consulting projects have led her to Australia, Canada, India, Ecuador and numerous of other countries.
Dr. Gillis is a Page Legacy Scholar of The Arthur W. Page Center, a recipient of The Ernest R. McDowell Award for Excellence in Public Relations, and the IABC Research Foundation Lifetime Friend recognition. She holds the designation of accredited business communicator through the IABC and was recognized as an IABC Fellow in 2014. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in London. She was the first educator to serve as the chairman of the IABC Research Foundation.