MEDIA FREEDOM - The African Mirror

Feb

10

2026

African editors to tackle media crisis at Nairobi congress

MEDIA FREEDOM

AFRICA's top media leaders and editors will convene in Nairobi on February 23-24 to address mounting challenges threatening journalism across the continent, organisers announced. The African Editors Forum (TAEF) will host the Africa Editors Congress 2026 at the Graduate School for Media and Communications, Aga Khan University, bringing together editors, policymakers, and media executives to confront what organisers describe as a "multifaceted crisis" in African journalism. The two-day congress comes as newsrooms battle declining revenues, regulatory pressures, and eroding public trust, fueled by widespread misinformation on social media platforms. "Journalism's integrity, relevance, and sustainability are under threat," TAEF stated, highlighting…

Feb

07

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Sudanese journalist held 100 days without charge, union demands release

MEDIA FREEDOM

A Sudanese journalist has been detained for 100 days without charges or legal documentation, according to the Union of Sudanese Journalists, which issued an urgent statement calling for his immediate release. Muammar Ibrahim was arrested by the Rapid Support Forces while leaving Al-Fasher and transferred to Nyala in South Darfur State, the union said in a statement released this week. He has been held without access to a lawyer or his family. The union characterised the detention as "an organised crime against press freedom and society's right to knowledge" and part of a systematic effort to silence independent journalism in…

Jan

29

2026

By The African Mirror

Military officers assault journalist in Ghana

MEDIA FREEDOM

Military officers detained and beat a journalist in Ghana's North East Region, raising fresh concerns about press freedom in the West African nation, according to a statement released by the West Africa Editors Society. Solomon Kanaluwe, North East Regional Correspondent for Media General, was subjected to severe beatings with sticks during his detention by military personnel, leaving him with lacerations and wounds across his body, the organization said. The incident marks the second assault on a Ghanaian journalist by state security forces in less than a month. In December, officers of the Ghana National Fire Service assaulted Samuel Addo of…

Mar

17

2021

By The African Mirror

How press freedom was threatened during Covid-19

MEDIA FREEDOM

MEERA SELVA A free press is needed to provide the flow of information through a society, and also to hold the powerful to account and tell the stories of those who may otherwise not be heard. A free press also paints pictures of our society. It defines us and it defines the national conversation. A free press is also under attack. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 274 journalists were imprisoned last year. Thirty-two were killed, some by crossfire or in war zones, but many deliberately targeted and murdered as a direct result of their work. Not only is…

Nov

26

2025

By FRANZ KRÜGER

South Africa needs to rethink its community media policy – 4 ways to close the gaps

MEDIA FREEDOM

COMMUNITY media have received support for around three decades, and yet South Africa’s information landscape remains deeply unequal. The distribution of media closely matches the country’s socio-economic inequality. People in middle-class suburbs have access to an ever-growing range of information sources. Poorer areas and the countryside are often news deserts. Sustained support for community media has undoubtedly led to growth in media in marginalised areas. Around 230 community radio stations are currently licensed, according to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. The Association of Independent Publishers lists around 190 print and online members. However, many are enterprises battling simply…

Nov

22

2025

By STAFF REPORTER

Africa’s embattled newsrooms to convene in Nairobi as press freedom crisis deepens

MEDIA FREEDOM

AFRICA's most influential gathering of newsroom leaders will convene in Kenya's capital in February 2026, as the continent's media sector confronts what analysts describe as an existential crisis marked by deteriorating press freedoms, collapsing revenue models, and intensifying government pressure on independent journalism. The Africa Editors Congress (AEC), scheduled for February 23-24, 2026, arrives at a critical juncture for African journalism. Across the continent, newsrooms face a perfect storm: authoritarian governments increasingly intolerant of critical coverage, the wholesale collapse of traditional advertising markets, and the dominance of foreign technology platforms that extract value while contributing little to local journalism ecosystems.…

Oct

23

2025

By The African Mirror

Junta agents disguised as thieves attack Guinea media house, journalists say

MEDIA FREEDOM

CONAKRY, Guinea — An independent media house in Guinea has been crippled in what journalists and editors are calling a calculated assault on press freedom, with security operatives allegedly masquerading as common criminals to destroy printing equipment while leaving valuable items untouched. The Lynx-Lance Press Group's printing plant in Conakry was vandalised on Saturday, October 18, when intruders scaled the facility's walls during a heavy rainstorm and systematically disabled the company's operational printing presses. In an unusual pattern for a robbery, the attackers stole nothing of significant monetary value, instead targeting components critical to the newspaper's production. "The bandits jumped…

Aug

05

2025

By The African Mirror

African media watchdog demands action after security forces assault Ghanaian journalists

MEDIA FREEDOM

THE African Editors Forum (TAEF) is demanding immediate action from Ghanaian authorities following a disturbing pattern of violent attacks on journalists by the country's security forces, with two separate incidents in July highlighting what the organisation calls a culture of impunity among uniformed officers. The latest incidents have prompted strong condemnation from President John Dramani Mahama, but media advocates say words alone are insufficient to address the escalating threats to press freedom in the West African democracy. On July 11, 2025, a police officer physically assaulted GHOne TV reporter Kwabena Agyekum Banahene during parliamentary by-elections in Ablekuma North, an attack…

Jul

29

2025

By The African Mirror

Media freedom under siege: Rights group documents 141 attacks on journalists under Tinubu administration

MEDIA FREEDOM

A new report has documented an alarming escalation in attacks on media freedom in Nigeria, with 141 incidents of harassment, detention, and violence against journalists and citizens recorded during the first two years of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration. The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) released its mid-term assessment, revealing that law enforcement agencies have systematically targeted journalists and critics through the misuse of cybercrime legislation, creating what the organisation calls an "onslaught" against press freedom. Between May 29, 2023, and May 29, 2025, Nigerian police were responsible for 61 cases of attacks on media workers and citizens expressing their views…

Jul

19

2025

By The African Mirror

African Media Councils unite to combat misinformation, demand end to defamation laws

MEDIA FREEDOM

AFRICA’S independent media councils have established a unified front against digital misinformation and authoritarian press restrictions, electing new leadership and demanding governments across the continent repeal laws criminalising defamation and sedition. The Network of Independent Media Councils in Africa (NIMCA) concluded its inaugural Annual General Meeting in Arusha, with delegates from 13 media councils calling for a "continental approach" to digital governance that prioritises freedom of expression while combating the spread of false information. Kennedy Mambwe, Chairperson of Zambia's Media Self-Regulation Council, was elected Assembly President, while Phathiswa Magopeni, Executive Director of South Africa's Press Council, will serve as Board…