Bush Radio, South Africa’s pioneering community radio station, has announced an ambitious cross-cultural initiative to strengthen democratic values through cross-cultural journalistic partnerships supported by the US Consulate in Cape Town.
The 14-month project, titled Strengthening Democratic Values through Cross-Cultural Journalistic Collaboration between South Africa and the United States, brings together emerging journalists from both nations to combat misinformation and disinformation while covering significant democratic milestones in both countries.
Bush Radio is collaborating with WRHU, the award-winning campus radio station at Hofstra University, New York.
The initiative comes at a crucial time as the United States (US) approaches its 60th presidential election on November 5, 2024, while South Africa celebrates 30 years since its first democratic elections in 1994.
“This collaboration builds on our existing partnership with WRHU, which has already produced 40 hours of joint programming on cultural life and social justice issues through the One World Radio Show, hosted from Cape Town and New York,” said Adrian Louw, Bush Radio Programme Integrator.
“We are now expanding our focus to address one of the most pressing challenges facing both our democracies and journalism worldwide – the spread of mis- and disinformation.”
The project participants will produce 28 collaborative reports covering significant political events, including the 2024 US Presidential Elections and South Africa’s State of the Nation Address in 2025.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The program prioritizes diversity and inclusion, ensuring participant representation across race, age, gender identification, sexual orientation, religion, and disability status.
Key project components:
* The first part of the initiative, which is currently in progress, has 4 journalists from Bush Radio in New York and Washington to cover the 2024 US Presidential Elections.
* Cross-cultural training on media and technical skills
* Joint content creation focusing on democratic processes, misinformation, and disinformation
* Exchange programmes for journalists to report directly from both countries
With a combined audience reach of over 575,000 listeners and an additional social media reach of 500,000 users, the partnership aims to create a meaningful impact in both communities.
