This long-running strand of work examines the expanding presence of Chinese media in Sub-Saharan Africa — from CGTN and Xinhua to the satellite operator StarTimes — and asks what difference, if any, it makes to African news and audiences. It began with doctoral research on CGTN Africa and grew into a series of comparative audience studies across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Combining surveys, content analysis and interviews, the research assesses how exposure to Chinese media relates to attitudes towards China, how Chinese outlets are perceived alongside domestic and Western media, and what Chinese media engagement means for local journalism. A recurring finding is that the reach of Chinese mediated public diplomacy does not translate straightforwardly into influence over African audiences' views. Much of this work was conducted with Herman Wasserman.