Journalism in Africa Still Gloomy - Report

Journalism in Africa Still Gloomy - Report
Roughly three months to Ghana’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections, media reports have suggested that practicing journalism in Africa is dangerous and gloomy, which call for caution in order that the situation is not worsened.

Citing attacks on the media in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea and other African countries, the ‘Annual State Of The Media Report’ published by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and titled ‘Media Alert West Africa 2006 – 2007,’ noted that for two decades (since the late 1980s) the upsurge of political liberalisation and media pluralism in West Africa, has brought journalists and their media repression and attacks on their

freedoms.
It said despite constitutional reforms making provision for press freedom, government impunity and reluctance to reform repressive anachronistic legislation set the conditions for sustained suffocation of freedom of expression in most of the fifteen countries of ECOWAS including
Mauritania.

Among the emerging and disturbing cases of repression the report mentioned are the arbitrary acts of regulatory bodies that increasingly show their lack of independence from governmental control and influence.

The publication further stated that in every country, while petty police and security personnel incessantly abuse journalists, there is a growing tendency of intolerance of civilian citizens toward journalists at the least publication of unfavourable material.

It further said a new and dangerous element adding to the woes of media freedom is the growing trade in hard illicit drugs and the threat of this danger is already reportedly baring its fangs.

For instance in Ghana it pointed out that sympathisers of suspected drug smugglers physically attack journalists in the open and the threat of new backward legislation, such as a new bill on defamation in Ghana looms high.

Moreover in Guinea Bissau it reported that security forces and politicians make sure the media don’t dare cover anything they observe about the drug trade that is engulfing the tinny coastal country.

Making reference to the Ghana Government’s relationship with the media, the annual state of the media report indicated that the change over of political administration made some private journalists enjoy privileged relationships with government for information, documents and resources, unlike in the past where this was exclusively the reserve of state media journalists.

According to the publication this raised concerns from some quarters, with people accusing some journalists of ‘sleeping’ with the government.

It disclosed that a privately owned paper The Insight, published a letter containing a list of people including two editors that were given internet facilities to manage government
information.

It continued that even though the newspaper published the letter, both the government and the two editors denied the accusation.

With respect to Liberia, the report indicates that Government – Media Relations remained
lukewarm in spite of the surface impression that all was well.

MFWA’s Report stated that in that country, physical attacks on journalists re-surfaced in 2006, provoking a strong reaction from the Press Union of Liberia.

However touching on the relationship between the Government of Mali and the media, the report revealed that it was on the whole cordial. It confirmed that the government allocates 200m CFA francs approximately US$ 450,000 annually to assist the media.

It said the authorities did not attack the media during 2006 – 2007, nor were the premises of any media outlets invaded by government authorities, adding that there was generally no censorship or seizure of the media.