Twange Kasoma, Communications Professor | USA

Amy Warshaw: What led you to your career?

TK: I like to tell people that it was in my blood. Being the daughter of a renowned African journalist, academician and mass communications scholar (the late Prof. Francis Kasoma), whom I respected and admired so much, I always wanted to emulate him. Like him, I started off as a journalist before branching out into academia.

AW: What types of media do you use in your work?

TK: I use a variety of both traditional and new/digital media. For traditional media, my favorites are: books, newspapers, radio and television. I use these to keep abreast with latest news and information. For new/digital media, I enjoy using video-conferencing applications such as skype and iChat. These are particularly relevant when I'm teaching international communication because I can virtually invite colleagues who are in other parts of the world to share their expertise with my students. I also belong to some online professional forums, which are really handy for networking purposes. 

AW: How has online journalism played a role in your career?

TK: Online journalism has made access to information really efficient. To me, the Internet is like a one-stop shop where I can go to not only get (global) news in a converged format but also get ideas for stories I can work on or assign my students.

With online journalism, you have a lot of information at your fingertips all at once and it is always fun to sieve through credible information and fluff.

AW: Have you experienced any gender bias(es) in your career?

TK: Not overtly. In a subtle way though, I know that there have been instances when I have made less in pay compared to my male counterparts who had the same qualifications as me.

AW: How have international experiences impacted your career?

TK: Having had the opportunity to work in both my native (African) and American settings, I'm a more culturally-enriched person and bring that cultural diversity to my classroom. For example, when I'm teaching news reporting classes I'm able to provide firsthand experience to my students on the differences between practicing journalism in an African environment as opposed to an American one. 

AW: What do you think are differences in journalism between Zambia and the United States?

TK: There are several differences. One of the major differences pertains to media ownership. In the U.S., the media are privately-owned and are not answerable to the government. In Zambia, until the early 1990s, we mostly had government-owned media outlets. With government ownership comes the tendency by government to meddle in the affairs of the media. Journalists who work for the government-owned media often find themselves practicing a lot more self-censorship to steer clear of biting the hand that feeds them.

The privately-owned media we now have try to provide checks and balances to fill the void being left by the government-owned. Although there have been some successes, the worrying trend currently is the sensationalistic route that some are taking. There is less emphasis on reporting news that has relevance to people's livelihood.

Another difference is the level of freedom that the two groups of journalists enjoy. In the U.S., where freedom of the press is constitutionally guaranteed, journalists have more impetus to perform their watchdog role. In Zambia, on the other hand, journalists have to be enterprising

The other difference pertains to resources. Journalists in the U.S. have more access to technology than their Zambian counterparts. There are still newsrooms in Zambia where there aren't enough computers to go around.

Finally, to make my students appreciate these differences, I offer a study abroad class called "Journalistic Practices in Zambia" where students learn about the Zambian media during the spring semester and have the opportunity of travelling to Zambia over summer to have hands-on experience.

AW: What is the most outrageous story/assignment you had to cover?

TK: I once covered a story on commercial indoor plant growers in Zambia who were using female contraceptives to nourish their plants. When I first got the lead, I thought it would be a dead end as I could not imagine such a practice taking place. The more I researched the story, the more I realized there was truth to it. Female contraceptives were being bought in bulk from stores that carried them since there were no measures that restricted how much a person could buy.

AW: Have you ever been in any dangerous situation while covering a story? If so, describe the situation.

TK: No – I haven't. I have had friends who have been in that position though.

AW: What are things you don't like about current journalism practices that you wish can change in Zambia?

TK: I would love to see less government interference particularly in as far as regulation goes. Zambia is currently going through a phase where the government is attempting to statutorily regulate the media. To counteract government's plans, media practitioners are in the process of establishing a self-regulatory body called Zambia Media Council, which will be launched in the near future.

The other issue that irks me is the lack of development reporting. I would like to see a situation where there is less focus on political squabbles and more emphasis on putting leaders to task about what they are doing to develop the country. I would also love to see more voices from the grassroots incorporated in stories.

AW: What is it like competing against other journalists for a story in Zambia?

TK: I don't think it is as stiff as it is in the U.S. Culturally Africans are communal rather than individualistic beings. This applies to journalistic practice as well. There is more of a tendency for pack journalism, which involves the sharing of information.

AW: What advice do you have for a journalist student wanting to get into the field?

TK: The field of journalism is service-oriented. By reporting on topics that have meaning to people's livelihood -- be it in the areas of health, politics, economics, etc. -- you are offering a service to society that helps change the world for the better. What could be more gratifying than that?

AW: What do you love about your job?

TK: Being of service to others.

Interviewee: Twange Kasoma

Twange Kasoma has a Ph.D. in media and society with emphasis in international and development communication from the University of Oregon. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Mass Communications at Emory & Henry College in Virginia. Classes she teaches include: International Communication and Media and Society. She also teaches reporting, writing and editing courses. Kasoma also offers a summer study abroad course that involves taking students to her home country Zambia where they learn through hands-on experience about journalistic practice in Africa. Her research has mainly focused on professionalism and ethics among African journalists, and role of the media in African society. Prior to an academic career, she did some journalistic work in Zambia and Ghana. She is also involved with the Kasoma Media Foundation, which is a non-profit organization in Zambia that focuses on the education and development of journalists.

Interviewer: Amy Warshaw

Amy Warshaw, 20, has always been interested in journalism and communication studies since she was in grade school writing stories that were published and bound by grammar school parents and put on display for other students to read. Warshaw is from Long Grove, Illinois a suburb of Chicago and is majoring in Communication Studies, with a minor in mass communication, and working towards a Certificate of Entrepreneurial Management. She hopes to pursue a career in Public Relations or Marketing, and would like to work in the creative department of these fields. With a graduation date of December 2010, Warshaw plans to work in Chicago this summer as a marketing intern for Home Warranty of America, a nationwide Real Estate agency. This past summer she was a Community Manager intern for an online site where she would blog and write press releases for a fashion based webpage, Stylehop.com. Gender and Mass Media is Warshaw's last needed class in order to complete her minor in mass communication, and she is very excited to learn about what struggles journalists face in other countries. Warshaw has some knowledge of Spanish, but is not fluent in the language. Warshaw has never traveled outside of North America.