A September 2020 report published by Article 19, a human rights organisation that promotes freedom of expression, indicated that at least 48 journalists had been attacked or restrained from doing their work during the pandemic.
The various reports and rankings measure the degree of freedom available to traditional journalists working in established media outlets. They show that mainstream media houses have been hardest hit by these challenges.
This has opened up space for other media workers to report the news and create content. There is an emerging group of citizens, activists, experts, and independent journalists who have become an alternative source of credible, useful information.
THE STANDARD
NATIONAL
Journalists protest in Nairobi after frequent attacks on members of the fourth estate. [File]
Today is World Press Freedom Day, and this year’s theme focuses on ‘Information as a public good’. This day remains a crucial one for media professionals and citizens who believe in a free press as the cornerstone of democracy.
Reporters without Borders (RSF) last week released the 2021 World Press Freedom Index evaluating the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories. The report has been published every year since 2002.
This year’s index shows that free journalism, the main vaccine against disinformation, was completely or partly curtailed in 73 per cent of the 180 countries ranked by the organisation.
Disinformation in a time of Covid-19: Weekly Trends in South Africa
Week 10: World Press Freedom Day and Disinformation
It was a big week for our media, appearing before the Zondo Commission we heard President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighting not only the critical role of the media in a democracy but also commending the Fourth Estate saying: “I will commend the role of the media; the media has played a phenomenal role in investigating State Capture, bringing it to light and continuously reporting on it.” He had also noted the Gupta Leaks were a turning point. Talking about this in an interview on Cape Talk,
Week 10: World Press Freedom Day and Disinformation
It was a big week for our media, appearing before the Zondo Commission we heard President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighting not only the critical role of the media in a democracy but also commending the Fourth Estate saying: “I will commend the role of the media; the media has played a phenomenal role in investigating State Capture, bringing it to light and continuously reporting on it.” He had also noted the Gupta Leaks were a turning point. Talking about this in an interview on Cape Talk,
Daily Maverick associate editor Ferial Haffajee said, “I did feel cold comfort from those words today – a couple more of my colleagues did think it was a significant moment of recognition for the media’s role.”
ANKARA: A brain drain and youth exodus from Turkey have become increasing points of debate in the country after two TikTok users were recently arrested for posting a satirical video about the inability of young Turks to travel abroad amid the pandemic.
The two 23-year-old users seemingly irked Turkish authorities, and were accused of “openly insulting the state’s sovereign insignia” in the satirical clip.
In Turkey, where even humor has become an inexcusable act for some authorities, an increasing number of citizens are choosing to move abroad, recent statistics show.
The latest data by the European Statistical Office shows that Turkish asylum requests to Europe have increased by 506 percent since 2019.