Nearly all countries in sub-Saharan Africa have adopted constitutions that establish democracy as the form of government and guarantee fundamental rights, including press freedom and freedom of expression. However, the gap between these constitutional protections and the reality that journalists experience remains wide. This is particularly problematic given the critical role that journalists and media play in fostering democracy and the rule of law. Continuous efforts to promote press freedom rights and the safety of journalists have become imperative in the face of the fragile gains made in terms of democratic governance on the continent.
As part of its Africa programme, the International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives, and journalists, has embarked on a project to monitor attacks on journalists and carry out advocacy to ensure justice and accountability for those responsible. The project seeks to contribute to sustaining the fragile gains of press freedom and advance progress. Working together with local partners, IPI aims to systematically collect data on press freedom violations and carry out robust advocacy actions to defend press freedom as a backbone of sustained democracy and inclusive and gender-equal societies. An additional element of the project will focus on journalistic capacity-building vis-à-vis investigating and combating a rise in online attacks and disinformation campaigns targeting fact-based independent journalism.
The present report on the monitoring of press freedom violations focuses on IPI’s collection of data for a pilot period of April to June 2022. The data analyzed originated from IPI’s own monitoring of the press freedom landscape, inputs from local CSOs, with whom IPI works in close cooperation, and IPI members.
This report is part of a series of advocacy materials that IPI will be producing on a regular, monthly, and quarterly basis to raise awareness, hold state actors accountable for press freedom violations, and serve as a reference for evidence-based advocacy to defend press freedom and journalist safety.
The report presents an overview of the monitoring, categories of violations of press freedom recorded, and the source of the violation, if known. In addition to presenting the data, the report aims to draw out significant trends and patterns regarding attacks and restrictions on journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting particular issues or countries of concern as identified in the monitoring period in question.
