Stories about Media & Journalism from October, 2019
Pakistan shuts art installation depicting extrajudicial killings
"The closure is both an attack on free expression and an attempt to sweep under the rug a longstanding human rights problem."
Netizen Report: How are protests in Lebanon affecting digital rights?
Protests continue in Lebanon, phone service is back in Kashmir (but the internet is still down) and Egyptians are getting censored on Twitter.
Angolan president's reforms drive positive impact on media — but limits persist
Under Angola's former regime, JES, prosecutions of activists and journalists were common. In 2017, João Lourenço (“JLO”) succeeded JES and journalists began to see reforms to press freedoms. But is it enough?
Yugoslavia wasn't a Soviet ally—so why does that misconception persist in Western media?
The Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia's independence from both the Eastern and the Western blocs was a key feature of its national identity.
Mozambican journalists and activists targeted with threats in election year
Human rights organizations documented several cases in which journalists and activists were threatened and subjected to pressures interfering with their work in relation to the elections.
Nigerian journalist under threat of arrest for exposé of police and prison corruption
The intimidation of journalist 'Fisayo Soyombo exemplifies the precarious state of press freedom and free speech in Nigeria.
Australian newspapers ‘censor’ their front pages in protest against government secrecy laws
"Journalists and whistleblowers in Australia live in fear of criminal charges, police raids and damaging court battles that threaten their professional careers and personal freedom."
Ahead of Tunisia elections, social media was flooded with mis- and disinformation
In the months leading up to the elections, mis- and disinformation spread widely across social media platforms, Facebook in particular.
How Ethiopia's ruling coalition created a playbook for disinformation
Manipulation tactics used by Ethiopia's ruling coalition members against each other in their internal power struggle serve as a blueprint for opposition groups to attack their opponents and the government.
From dictatorship to democracy: All eyes on The Gambia’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review
Ahead of The Gambia's Universal Periodic Review, which issues top the agenda of civil society organizations? "There has been a kind of a media boom after the dictatorship."
The only two black coaches in Brazil's top-tier football league take a stand against racism
A statement by coach Roger Machado went viral on Brazilian social media.
Internet censorship in Sudan: Rethinking laws and tactics that served an authoritarian regime
Sudan's transitional authorities have taken small steps toward improving the climate for internet freedom in the country— but these remain inadequate.
Zimbabwe government continues to weaponize information online to control citizen engagement
As a former state security minister, president Mnangagwa appreciated the importance and value of disinformation in Zimbabwe’s political terrain.
Nigerian journalist Omoyele Sowore remains in jail on trumped-up charges of treason and insulting the president
Rights groups see Omoyele Sowore's continued detention and the charges filed against him as merely a criminalisation of political dissent in Nigeria.
The Hungarian journalists who wouldn't keep quiet
Interview with Csaba Lukács, journalist and managing director of the independent weekly Magyar Hang, on the trials and tribulations of running a critical, conservative newspaper in Viktor Orbán's Hungary.
#SexForGrades: A new documentary exposes sexual harassment at West African universities
Professors who harass female students and pressure them for sex in return for grades or school admission has become the norm in many universities in Nigeria and Ghana.
The oligarchs are the main disinformation proxies in Bulgaria, says local expert
"Patterns of ownership, economic dependency and (in)formal political links of media outlets in the countries under investigation to pro-Russian groups are reflected into corresponding trends of employing Russia-originating propaganda narratives."
Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa: Global Voices represents at Addis Ababa digital rights conference
The forum represented a huge step forward for digital rights in Ethiopia, where, just five years ago, press freedom and digital rights were at an all-time low.
Netizen Report: Human rights groups demand justice for Jamal Khashoggi, one year after his murder
The journalist's killing sparked widespread condemnation of the Saudi government and brought increased international scrutiny to the treatment of journalists and rights activists by the regime.
As Sudan transitions to democracy, urgent reforms must tackle disinformation
To help counter mis-and disinformation, Sudan's transitional government needs to provide better conditions to support press freedom, freedom of expression and access to information.
While El Salvador's security improves, the country loses ground in press freedom
While there are fewer murders in El Salvador, the government appears to show censorship tendencies towards the media and critical voices.