Stories about Media & Journalism from March, 2021
‘A day without internet is a day in the dark’: The Gambia's growing digital divide
In the Gambia, frequent internet outages and overall instability have made everyday life an increasingly frustrating challenge, impeding both national development and individual growth.
The Gambia’s missed opportunity for digital rights reform
Gambians held high hopes for digital rights reforms under President Adama Barrow. But the draft constitution fell short on its promise to adequately protect digital rights.
Pakistan bans TikTok for the second time
TikTok was blocked in Pakistan for 10 days in October 2020. Access was restored after the app's parent company ByteDance assured authorities it would bolster moderation.
Did the Ethiopian government use its COVID-19 restrictions to silence dissent?
The state of emergency restrictions were used as grounds to arrest a lawyer and a journalist last year -- both known critics of the government in Addis Ababa.
Sierra Leone’s new cybercrime bill could turn a phone into a crime scene
Sierra Leone’s cybercrime bill could turn a citizen’s smartphone into a crime scene at a moment’s notice.
The difficulties journalists face covering the COVID-19 pandemic in three African countries
Journalists from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria identified mis-and disinformation, and safety concerns while in the field, as some of the greatest obstacles while reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not just Atlanta, but also Victoria, B.C.
White supremacy in Victoria makes going about daily life pretty easy for people like me, but potentially deadly for a whole lot of other people.
Protests erupt in Bangladesh after writer arrested under the Digital Security Act dies in prison
Ahmed was arrested after he criticized the government's pandemic response on social media. He was charged with "tarnishing the image of the nation" and "creating hostility" -- all offenses under the DSA.
In Tajikistan, online critics land behind bars as alleged ‘extremists’
In Tajikistan, several outspoken bloggers and activists have been sent behind bars and online freedom of expression is seriously curtailed.
Personal attacks follow Burundi human rights defender into exile in Uganda
The harassment began in September 2017 after the release of a “hugely damning” UN Commission of Inquiry report on human rights abuses in Burundi, and Chantal Mutamuriza was "singled out as being involved."
Online rape threats connect Lebanese activist to ‘thousands of other women’ facing abuse
Maya El-Ammar: "Thanks to our experiences with gender-based violence in the offline world, we have rationalized the reality that our virtual world would naturally mirror our off-screen existence."
How human voice matters in the Chinese political discussion on Clubhouse
The voices that Zhang treasured was the shocking utterance of ordinary people when they first heard about what happened in Xinjiang and in Tiananmen Square.
For this Filipina journalist, every day is a battle with fear
Rampant impunity means that accountability for attacks against activists and journalists is virtually non-existent.
Press freedom in Jammu and Kashmir: An interview with journalist Anuradha Bhasin
VideoVolunteers community correspondent Basharat Amin interviews Anuradha Bhasin, executive editor of the Daily Kashmir Times newspaper, to understand the present situation of freedom of the press in Jammu and Kashmir.
African media perpetuating harmful stereotypes about the continent, report finds
The report released in February 2021 offers a deeper understanding of why poverty, war, disease and failed elections continue to dominate media coverage of Africa.
A closer look into the Chinese political discussion on Clubhouse
"What the Chinese Communist Party wants to block is our ability to express humanity at our best and our ability to resolve conflict through dialogue."
