This article investigates how France has been represented in Malian media and how major geopolitical events have driven these shifts. Using a corpus of 822 Maliweb articles published between 2017 and 2024, the study integrates topic modelling, sentiment analysis, and qualitative discourse interpretation to capture both thematic patterns and temporal dynamics. The results reveal that France's image deteriorated sharply following the collapse of pro-French authorities in 2020. Concurrently, anti-French narratives progressively seized discursive initiative, adapting their strategies to changing political and media environments, and ultimately dominated the construction of France's public image. These findings offer a more grounded understanding of how African newsrooms construct former colonial powers while highlighting African journalists’ emphasis on African agency and interests. Moreover, the study illuminates the interactive relationship between local media, grassroots activities, and state policy trajectories, demonstrating how media can both reflect and shape broader societal and political developments.
Ruiji Zhuang (Fri,) studied this question.