Hello, can you hear me? The zoom screen springs to life and the responses quickly follow.
Yes, we can. Good morning . The greetings come from Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zimbabwe and other countries across the continent.
Behind the voices are a new generation of African journalists looking to discuss a new way of storytelling and a chance to change the narrative. It's a theme which is central to the Thomson Foundation course African Stories: A guide for journalists on how to tell better stories about Africa.
The course was made in conjunction with the Africa No Filter (ANF) who support the bird story agency and it is bird who are hosting the editorial meeting.
I loved the course. It made me look at telling the African story in a different light
Irene, Journalist, Zimbabwe
Engaging Gen Z A recent survey by ANF revealed that a third of news stories across the continent are sourced from foreign news services whilst 50 per cent of editors surveyed admitted there were stereotypes in articles they sometimes run. Those statistics invariably translate into two-dimensional, often cliched storytelling where an entire continent of 54 countries is reduced to three harmful tropes in the news: war, corruption and poverty. Front pages become dominated by political stories featuring middle-aged men and a variety of stories, voices, nuance, context, constructive solutions and above all fun, are all too often missing.
So the course aims to bring about a fundamental shift in journalism; in the way stories are being told and presented. Participants are offered instruction and guidance in how they can be part of that change by better serving the mobile-first younger generation who are hungry for new ways of storytelling and women, who make up half of the population. It's something that a few start-up, media-savvy online news portals are already offering and they're succeeding in engaging a new audience.
Ras Mutabaruka is the founder of TAP Media Ltd and one of the experts on the course. He says that change will come through telling stories on the ground and not through the national and international narratives which don't really connect with people at a local level. Ras who was born in Rwanda but grew up in refugee camps in Congo and later in the slums of Nairobi has dedicated his work to changing the way the world sees and thinks about Africa. Alongside Ras are other leading African journalists who are experts in their field: Dr Njoki Chege who's the Director of the Innovation Centre at the Graduate School of Media and Communications at the Aga Khan University in Nairobi; Doreen Wainainah, the Managing Editor of PesaCheck, Africas largest indigenous fact-checking organisation; and investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas who was named Foreign journalist of the Year', by the National Association of Black Journalists in the USA in 2021.
Still talking about it now Back at birds editorial meeting on zoom, there's a chance to hear from people who have taken the Thomson Foundation storytelling course. The meeting maybe virtual but the enthusiasm is real enough.
I loved the course. It made me look at telling the African story in a different light , says Irene in Zimbabwe.
I liked everything about this course. Connecting with a global audience stood out for me, adds Dorcas in Nigeria. I'm still talking about it now. There are no more grey areas for me.
People who finish the course are awarded a certificate and can then pitch a story to bird who will pay for it if it's commissioned. It's an added incentive to be part of a movement for change and if these journalists are anything to go by, a new voice for Africa will soon be shouting loud enough for the rest of the world to hear.
African Stories: A guide for journalists on how to tell better stories about Africa
Top illustration: Michelle Thompson
Catherine Mackie Editorial Associate
About: Catherine is responsible for designing training programmes for Thomson Foundation and has been a senior journalist for more than 30 years.
Explore our projects across the globe
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
Hello, can you hear me? The zoom screen springs to life and the responses quickly follow. 
