Bloomberg’s Africa plan raises questions

Anton Harber, a journalism professor at Wits University in South Africa, raises questions about Michael Bloomberg’s plan to spend $10 million to improve business journalism in Africa.

Harber, writing in Business Day, states, “I went to hear Bloomberg make the announcement this week in the hope of understanding why he or his people in Bloomberg Philanthropy chose these particular projects. What are the issues and challenges in African journalism that he wanted to address? Why did he choose to focus on three of the countries (South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya) that have the strongest media and best financial journalism? Why were they piggy-backing on some existing initiatives, but reproducing others? Why did they think that six very different universities in three different education systems could — or should — agree on a curriculum?

“I was left bewildered. The initiative, Bloomberg said vaguely, would ‘foster collaboration, support professional growth and nurture the leaders who are contributing to the continent’s very bright future.’

“I hope I don’t sound ungrateful. I think investment in journalism is needed. I have enormous respect for Bloomberg, and the managers of his philanthropic fund that I had the pleasure to meet. I will be grateful for scholarships for students who might otherwise not be able to go to university. This programme shows big thinking of the sort that has made Bloomberg who he is, his operation one of the most successful journalism enterprises in recent history and having driven down crime in New York City.

“But good journalism, as Bloomberg knows, is often about asking the right questions. And sometimes even stupid questions. It is not about the temptation to nod in agreement with the holders of large chequebooks. A journalist’s job is to examine the gift horse’s tonsils, right?

“I do think that a programme of this sort needs to start with an understanding of what the issues are and what Bloomberg hopes to achieve.”

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