Chapter 10 Re-enacting Zambia’s Democracy through the Practice of Journalism on Facebook
In: Democracy and Electoral Politics in Zambia
Author:
Chanda Mfula
Chanda Mfula
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Abstract
Facebook is increasingly becoming an arena for journalism in the mediation of democracy in Zambia. This chapter uses content analysis to assess the quality of information and deliberations on Facebook pages of three popular online media outlets, namely, Mwebantu New Media, Zambia Reports and Zambian Watchdog during the run-up to the 2016 general elections. The findings reveal some latent bias through what appears to be agenda-setting and framing tendencies in the content posted on Facebook by the three media outlets. The study also suggests that the quality of deliberations on the three Facebook pages falls short on several dimensions.