Find the Wifi, free the watchdog: Sub-Saharan African smartphone users’ attitudes about accountability journalism

Abstract

This study explores the association of mobile media and citizens’ attitudes surrounding watchdog journalism in sub-Saharan Africa. Face-to-face survey interviews with 2,589 smartphone users were conducted in six sub-Saharan African nations that have seen rapid expansion of smartphone penetration in recent years. The use of mobile phones for news-seeking predicted positive attitudes about accountability journalism in democratic governance. Results contribute to more nuanced discussion about mobile media and news habits in an understudied region.