Media commentary, interviews and opinion pieces
Commentary
Op-edThe Independent — “How UK aid cuts help China win the battle for hearts and minds in Africa”
Op-ed on how reductions in UK overseas aid create openings for Chinese media influence in Africa.
PodcastUrban Radar — “Child Labour and Disinformation”
Guest on the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester podcast, discussing how disinformation is changing and how it plays out across urban and rural areas.
Op-edUniversity World News — “Students’ views on misinformation: Cynicism or scepticism?”
Co-authored commentary on how young people perceive and respond to misinformation.
Op-edDW Freedom — “Responses to a changing media assistance landscape”
Commentary on how international media-development support is shifting and what it means for the Global South.
PressChina Media Project — “Global Powers, African Stories”
Interview on great-power competition and the contest over news narratives in Africa.
TVITV News at Ten — “Online overtakes TV as UK’s favourite news source”
Quoted on Ofcom findings about changing news-consumption habits in the UK.
Op-edThe Conversation — “Chinese and Russian disinformation flourishes in some African countries – anti-US sentiment helps it take hold”
Co-authored op-ed on the uptake of Russian and Chinese strategic disinformation narratives across African publics.
PodcastThe China in Africa Podcast
Hour-long conversation on the changing nature of China’s engagement with African media and African public opinion.
RadioRadio Nacional de España (RNE) — “Cinco Continentes: Geopolítica de la desinformación en África”
Radio interview on the geopolitics of disinformation in Africa.
TVSABC News — “Media & Society”
Live interview on the state of misinformation-literacy teaching in South Africa.
Op-edThe Conversation — “Media literacy education in South Africa can help combat fake news – here’s what’s needed”
Co-authored op-ed on what is needed to strengthen media-literacy teaching in South African schools and universities.
RadioRadio Euskadi — “Ganbara de cerca”
Interview on Africa–China relations and the role of African countries in EU foreign policy.
Op-edThe Conversation — “South African government’s handling of COVID-19: study shows declining trust”
Co-authored op-ed on declining public trust in the South African government’s communication during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Op-edThe Conversation — “Spotting hoaxes: how young people in Africa use cues to spot misinformation online”
Co-authored op-ed on the cues young Africans use to identify misinformation online.
Op-edThe Conversation — “Social media users in Kenya and South Africa trust science, but still share COVID-19 hoaxes”
Co-authored op-ed on why social-media users in Kenya and South Africa shared COVID-19 misinformation despite trusting science.
RadioHouston Public Media (NPR) — “Houston Matters”
Soundbite for a news story on the impact of the WeChat ban on Houston’s Chinese community.
Op-edAsia Dialogue — “China’s media presence in Africa is growing fast. Is its influence growing at the same pace?”
Op-ed questioning whether China’s fast-growing media presence in Africa translates into actual influence.
Op-edThe Conversation — “Study sheds light on the scourge of ‘fake’ news in Africa”
Co-authored op-ed on findings from a study of ‘fake news’ and media trust in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
Op-edAsia Dialogue — “The limits of Chinese interference in Africa’s media landscape”
Co-authored op-ed on the limits of Chinese influence over Africa’s media landscape.
Op-edAfrica is a Country — “‘Going out’ – China in African media”
Op-ed on China’s growing media footprint in Africa through digital TV and a global news channel.
Op-edThe Conversation (African edition) — “China’s media struggles to overcome stereotypes of Africa”
Op-ed on a controversial comedy skit about Africa broadcast on China’s Central Television.
PodcastThe China in Africa Project
Discussion on StarTimes’ operations in Africa, with Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden.
Op-edAsia Dialogue — “Chinese media are betting on Africa, but is anybody really watching?”
Op-ed questioning how large the audience for Chinese media in Africa really is.
Op-edDiari Ara — “El Japó post-Fukushima: tres reptes per a la potència nipona del segle XXI”
Opinion piece on the environmental, ageing and immigration challenges facing post-Fukushima Japan.
TVTV3 — “Els Matins”
Debate on the new Chinese leadership elected at the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Op-edForeign Policy en Español — “Japón: una ecuación compleja y cuatro variables”
Opinion piece on the unexpected consequences of the nuclear crisis caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in north-east Japan.
RadioCatalunya Ràdio — “Cabaret Elèctric”
Interview on manga, catastrophes and apocalyptic futures in Japanese popular culture.
RadioCadena SER — “Hoy x Hoy”
Discussion on how media around the world covered the 2011 earthquake in north-east Japan.
RadioCOM Ràdio
Interview on the post-earthquake situation in Japan and how residents were getting by (from 8:55).
RadioRAC1 — “Versió RAC1”
Contributor to a debate on the long-term impact of the March 2011 earthquake in north-east Japan.
Op-edEl País — “Japón saldrá reforzado”
Opinion piece on Japan’s historical resilience in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake in the Tōhoku region.
TVTV3 — “Telenotícies migdia”
Soundbite on the economic consequences of the 2011 earthquake in north-east Japan.
No commentary of this type.
Research mentions
PressThe Moscow Times — “Muzzled in the West, RT Still Reaches Audiences Across the Globe”
Quoted in a news story by Sofia Johanson on RT’s continued reach across Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
PressFinancial Times — “TikTok users are being sent inaccurate news-style alerts”
Quoted on the spread of misleading, news-styled notifications on social platforms.
PressThe New York Times — “How Putin Became a Hero on African TV”
Quoted on Russian disinformation narratives circulating on African television.
PressEl País — “Noticias en suajili y series comunistas: así ha conquistado China el espacio mediático en África”
Quoted on StarTimes’ presence in Kenya and China’s wider media footprint in Africa.
PressLa Razón
Quoted on the footprint of Chinese media in Africa.
PressThe Economist — “China, meet the Fourth Estate”
Quoted in a special report on China’s expanding international media operations.
PodcastLowy Institute — “Rules-Based Audio: The scramble for information control over Africa”
Featured in a podcast on the contest for influence over Africa’s information environment.
RadioBBC World Service — “The Compass – Chinese Dreams: Kenya”
Featured in an episode on Chinese media’s presence and influence in Kenya.
PressCNN Business
Contributed to a piece on the significance of the Chinese pay-TV platform StarTimes in Africa.
PressQuartz Africa — “China wants state media to peddle its soft power in Africa”
Quoted (by Cindy Sui) on China’s push to expand state-media influence across the continent.
PressThe National (UAE) — “How WhatsApp has given rise to a new era of fake news”
Contributed to a story on the role of WhatsApp in the spread of disinformation.
PressYomiuri Shimbun — “テレビ普及「中国」浸透 (Popularisation of television and the permeation of ‘China’)”
Contributed to a story on Chinese media’s presence in Africa for Japan’s most widely circulated newspaper.
PressLos Angeles Times — “‘China has conquered Kenya’: Inside Beijing’s new strategy to win African hearts and minds”
Quoted in a piece by Jonathan Kaiman on StarTimes’ operations in Kenya.
No research mentions of this type.