About

I am a PhD researcher investigating how African newspapers are framing China’s increasing involvement in the continent. The research has got strong quantitative, qualitative and international relations research elements with a focus on ten newspapers from five countries. Alongside my research, I have been a teaching assistant on the Journalism Foundation degree programme.

With 20 years of experience in print, radio and online journalism, I have worked in both Zimbabwe and the UK as a reporter and an editor. My articles have appeared in African and UK newspapers. In 2001, I won the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Southern Africa Feature writer of the year award. My research interests are China in Africa, international journalism, genocide and decoloniality. 

Thesis title 

Media framing China in Africa: cases of Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwean newspapers

Supervisor 

• Ivana Ebel

Qualifications

• Diploma in Mass Communication, Zimbabwe Institute of Mass Communication
• BA (Hons) Journalism, London Metropolitan University
• MRes Politics, Brunel University

Recent publications

Journal articles:

• Subversive Verses: How Ndebele Musicians Counter Framed the State Propaganda on the Gukurahundi Genocide, M. Mathuthu - Journal of Literary Studies, 2021, Taylor & Francis
• Blaming the victim: How global journalism fails those in poverty, M. Mathuthu - African Journalism Studies, 2015, Taylor & Francis
• Responsible Journalism by Example: An African Scribe’s Own Experience on a Quality Paper; The Story Behind the Stories, M. Mathuthu - African Journalism Studies, 2017, Taylor & Francis

Book(s)

• Media for peace: the role of the media in assisting the church to build peace in Zimbabwe, T Chikuku & M. Mathuthu (Eds)-Edicisa, 2005
• Puh! - Open Road Review, 2015 (fiction)