insert_link World With pressure mounting on the Biden administration, its pursuit of Assange was becoming both damaging and untenable By Emma Shortis, RMIT University Today, in a surprise development likely weeks in the planning, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was able to leave the United Kingdom for the first time in more than a decade after reaching a plea deal with the US government. In the past several months, momentum has been building towards this moment. There was increasing bipartisan support in both the Australian […] todayJune 25, 2024 6
insert_link World Chinese journalist jailed for reporting on Wuhan COVID-19 outbreak to be released The current whereabouts of a Chinese citizen journalist, Zhang Zhan, who was imprisoned for four years due to her reporting on the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan, remain unknown, causing concern among activists. Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vague charge frequently used in political cases. She completed her sentence at Shanghai’s Women Prison. The Associated […] todayMay 14, 2024 18
insert_link South Africa South Africa’s media have done good work with 30 years of freedom but need more diversity By Prinola Govenden, University of Johannesburg In 1992, two years before the end of apartheid, Nelson Mandela bemoaned the state of South Africa’s print media. He said the media’s domination by middle class males from the minority white population posed the biggest threat to freedom of expression in the country. The same year, the African National Congress under his leadership adopted a media charter calling for all […] todayMay 2, 2024 13
insert_link Namibia Daily Maverick’s one day shutdown starts discussion within Namibian media sector The Southern Africa Development Community Media is in the middle of a digital revolution. Should media houses go digital or die? And does radio remain king in this fast-changing world? Print media is the oldest means by which people still share information across an entire group of audiences. But it is buckling under pressure from Big Tech. And the change will only accelerate. Just today, Daily Maverick, one of South […] todayApril 15, 2024 22
insert_link World Hong Kong deports press freedom group staffer from city A representative for Reporters Without Borders was detained and deported from Hong Kong, according to the press freedom advocacy group. The organisation described it as a "new decline" in press freedoms. Laura Westbrook has more. todayApril 11, 2024 14
insert_link World New Israeli law threatens Al Jazeera shutdown The Israeli legislature has approved a new law that may pave the way for the government to close down the Al Jazeera news network. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to “act immediately to stop” Al Jazeera’s operations in the country. Al Jazeera reports that the legislation's passage comes nearly five months after Israel said it would block Lebanese outlet Al Mayadeen. It refrained from shuttering Al Jazeera at […] todayApril 4, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Press freedom in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda: what journalists have to say about doing their jobs By Karen McIntyre, Virginia Commonwealth University and Meghan Sobel Cohen, Regis University A majority of the world’s population has experienced a decline in press freedom in recent years, according to a UN report. In east Africa, the results are mixed and debatable. In Rwanda, both international press freedom rankings and journalists on the ground say press freedom has increased over the past 10 years. In neighbouring Uganda, both […] todayMarch 19, 2024 5
insert_link Local RSF has installed satellite Internet connections for journalists in nine locations in DRC Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has equipped nine media outlets and journalists’ associations in the Democratic Republic of Congo with satellite Internet connections since December. The aim is to provide the journalists with more reliable connections and make it easier for them to work. These connections, which continue to function even when the Internet has been completely cut by local operators, have been installed at media outlets and associations in Kinshasa, […] todayFebruary 15, 2024 2
insert_link Namibia President Geingob supported freedom of speech and journalist safety: Aochamub By Andreas Thomas Former President Hage Geingob was a staunch believer in the rule of law, particularly in freedom of speech, media freedom, and the safety of journalists. This is how the late president’s former press secretary, Albertus Aochamub, who is currently the Namibian Ambassador to France, remembered his former principal. “What was important was his belief in the rule of law. And press freedom for him […] todayFebruary 14, 2024 7
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
