Interviews with ivorian political journalists: Examining the political role of local and foreign journalists during Ivory Coast’s 2010-2011 electoral crisis

Abstract

Few studies written in English have problematised how French and US media cover the political conflict in the former colonies of France in West Africa, such as Gabon, Senegal, Burkina Faso, or Ivory Coast. This chapter’s interviews with foreign and local Ivorian journalists help investigate how France and the US media imperialism and coloniality of power continue to influence international media coverage of West Africa. Based on field interviews conducted in 2016 in Abidjan with Ivorian journalists and French foreign correspondents, this book chapter argues the international and French media were influenced by France’s military power and now-president Alassane Ouattara’s friendly relations with France to write stories in favour of Ouattara, thus playing a powerful and decisive role in the international news about the conflict.