Rethinking news media logic in the coverage of the Cabo Delgado conflict in Mozambique in the digital era

Abstract

This article uses the case of the Cabo Delgado conflict in northern Mozambique to answer the question: What factors determine news media logic in conflict news coverage? Drawing on interviews with journalists from the Mozambican media and conceptualised on news media logic, the article makes three interrelated arguments. Firstly, it argues that when journalists are unaware of the complex and deeply-rooted causes of the conflict, the military logic can foreground media conflict coverage. In the Mozambican context, ignorance of the conflict is worsened by this military logic that shapes mainstream news coverage. Secondly, media funded mainly by philanthropic organisations may have their own agendas and may not focus on the conflict in question. Conflict news coverage is backgrounded in a disrupted media ecosystem driven by financially lucrative news logic. To understand the media’s conflict coverage routines and practices, it is essential to comprehend these dynamics.