ABSTRACT
Relations between the media and democratization are complex and interwoven. It is impossible to disentangle them all. Any student of this subject matter is compelled to make a choice of focusing on some part of it rather than trying to rein in everything. This chapter is no exception. We have made the following choices in structuring this discussion so as to make it analytically appetizing and interesting. First of all, we are looking at the media as independent variables and political reform as the dependent variable. In other words, we are interested in what kind of contribution media have made to political reform. There are reasons for taking such an approach, especially since the social forces responsible for political reform elsewhere in the world, for example, the bourgeoisie or the working-class movement, have played a relatively insignificant role in shaping democratization in Africa. As one well-placed observer has noted, "A free press may, in fact, be more effective than an opposition party in achieving change in an oppressive political system" (Ungar 1990:371).
