MEDIA FREEDOM - The African Mirror

Jun

19

2020

Welcome to The African Mirror

MEDIA FREEDOM

JOVIAL RANTAO The dream of many Africans has always been to have their own stories told by themselves to themselves and the world. That is the strong foundation on which The African Mirror has been built. From today, Africans will make a contribution to the achievement of a decades-long dream by Africans to reclaim their narrative. As Africans continue to build the continent, one country at a time, we make bold that never again shall our stories be told by someone else. Despite its setbacks over the years – marked by, among others, under-development, diseases and wars – Africa has…

Jun

08

2020

By The African Mirror

Social media: Africans oppose government restrictions

MEDIA FREEDOM

JEFFREY CONROY-KRUTZ WHEN it comes to fighting COVID-19 in Africa, the internet and social media have been a double-edged sword. Governments and public health officials have used Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media to reach large numbers of people, quickly and efficiently, with information on how to stay healthy and limit the virus’s spread. And digital networks have allowed people to stay in touch, and some businesses to operate, in the face of lockdowns and social-distancing guidelines. Yet these technologies have also facilitated the spread of misinformation. Messages disseminated on WhatsApp claimed that people could self-test by holding their…

Apr

02

2021

By The African Mirror

Ten years on, a call for justice for the murder of photojournalist Anton Hammerl in Libya

MEDIA FREEDOM

JUST days before the tenth anniversary of photojournalist Anton Hammerl’s death, his widow Penny Sukhraj-Hammerl has launched a campaign to seek justice for his murder. Anton Hammerl was shot and fatally wounded in Libya by forces loyal to Gaddafi on April 5, 2011. He was covering the 2011 Libyan conflict as a freelancer. After a decade with no action, no answers and no accountability, Penny Sukhraj-Hammerl has instructed a legal team from Doughty Street Chambers. Her intention to renew the pursuit for justice for Anton was announced in an online launch and press briefing, hosted by Doughty Street Chambers with…

Jan

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Ethiopian police release detained Reuters cameraman without charge

MEDIA FREEDOM

ETHIOPIAN police have released Reuters cameraman Kumerra Gemechu after detaining him without charge for 12 days. Police had told his lawyer Melkamu Ogo that their lines of inquiry included accusations of disseminating false information, communicating with groups fighting the government, and disturbing the public's peace and security. However, Ogo said he had seen no evidence. "We are delighted that Kumerra has been released and reunited with his family. His release today affirms he has done nothing wrong," Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement. "Kumerra is a journalist who has consistently demonstrated his professionalism and commitment to accuracy,…

Jan

09

2021

By The African Mirror

Zimbabwe journalist arrested for third time in six months

MEDIA FREEDOM

ZIMBABWEAN journalist and government critic Hopewell Chin'ono was arrested yesterday on charges of communicating false information, his third arrest inside six months, his lawyer said. Chin'ono, who has a large social media following, has been critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rule, accusing his government of corruption and mismanagement. His comments have been unusually outspoken for a journalist in Zimbabwe, where critics are often dealt with harshly. The United States embassy in Harare said it was concerned for Chin'ono's welfare. Police spokesman Andrew Phiri said he could not comment on Chin'ono's latest arrest, which the journalist himself tweeted about, saying: "The…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

U.S. senators call for release of journalists in Ethiopia

MEDIA FREEDOM

THREE leading Democratic U.S. senators have written to Ethiopia's prime minister to express concern about the erosion of press freedoms in the country and to call for the release of journalists detained there. The letter from Senators Chris Murphy, Patrick Leahy and Ben Cardin to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and said that "over the last few months, the Ethiopian government has increasingly engaged in a pattern of intimidation against journalists". They said this trend was in stark contrast to the beginning of his premiership in 2018 when his government had freed scores of detained journalists. "We urge you to return…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Chin’ono’s arrest is arbitrary and has no foundation in law

MEDIA FREEDOM

DUMISANI MULEYA ON January 8, 2021, Zimbabwean police arrested award-winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono at his home in Harare for allegedly publishing a falsehood or communicating false information which is prejudicial to the state. After that police also arrested opposition leaders Job Sikhala and Fadzayi Mahere on the same charges. This emanated from a widely circulated video on social media in which a police officer is seen quarrelling amid pushing and shoving with a group of people accusing him of striking and killing a baby with a baton. The mother of the baby is also seen grabbing the policeman, with people…

Jul

05

2020

By The African Mirror

Does coronavirus aid to news outlets undermine journalistic credibility?

MEDIA FREEDOM

PATRICK LEE PLAISANCE THE NEWS business, like every other, is struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic. The economic crisis has forced more than two dozen small-town newsrooms to shut down and has accelerated media job losses – including hundreds of layoffs at outlets as varied as Condé Nast, BuzzFeed, Vice, The Economist, and virtually every newspaper chain. As a result, publishers have been among those in line to apply for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, an emergency funding package administered by the federal Small Business Administration. News organizations have received millions in coronavirus stimulus aid. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting…

Jul

04

2020

By The African Mirror

The media often conflates malicious criticism with genuine critique: why it shouldn’t

MEDIA FREEDOM

JULIE REID, Associate professor, University of South Africa “IF journalism is a force of immense influence – and I think it is, and should be – then it surely deserves scrutiny.” These are the words of Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian in London. News media sector representatives, journalists and editors often respond to criticism of the press with assertions that the freedom and independence of the news media must be protected at all costs. This is often an almost automatic knee-jerk reaction. For many, the freedom of the press is an infallible sacred cow. This line of argument…

Mar

04

2021

By The African Mirror

Ethiopia frees workers with foreign media detained in Tigray

MEDIA FREEDOM

FOUR Ethiopians working with foreign journalists in the northern Tigray region have been released without charges, an official and media outlets have said. A reporter for the BBC's Tigrinya language service, Girmay Gebru, two translators with Agence France-Presse and the Financial Times, and a journalist working with the New York Times were detained in recent days, their outlets said. "All journalists and translators have been released without charges," Abebe Gebrehiwot Yihdego, deputy head of Tigray's interim administration, told Reuters. The BBC confirmed Girmay's release in a tweet, while AFP and the New York Times also confirmed in emails to Reuters…