MEDIA COVERAGE OF MALI’S PRIME MINISTER CHOGUEL MAÏGA DISMISSAL: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RFI, RT, AND XINHUA

Abstract

    This study, based on Galtung’s theoretical framework of peace/conflict journalism and war/violence journalism, conducts a comparative analysis of the coverage by three internationally influential state-affiliated media outlets Radio France Internationale (RFI), Russia Today (RT), and Xinhua News Agency on Mali’s 2024 political crisis, centering on the dismissal of Prime Minister Choguel Maïga. The study finds significant differences in narrative strategies among the three: RFI adopts a conflict-driven frame, emphasizing political repression and instability; RT constructs the crisis as part of Mali’s assertion of sovereignty and distancing from Western influence; while Xinhua maintains a restrained, factual tone, focusing on elite political maneuvering and avoiding discussion of social impacts or reconciliation processes. These editorial choices not only reflect ideological positioning but also reveal the essential nature of media as tools of geopolitical soft power. This research underscores the importance of critically examining foreign media narratives on African political affairs and highlights the urgent need for African-centered storytelling within the global information order.