Over 2,000 African journalists, representatives of civil society organizations, politicians, academia and the judiciary, have gathered in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa for the celebration of this year’s World Press Freedom Day.
The three-day event, which is being jointly organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Ethiopian government, is offering a platform to discuss some of the challenges faced by the media.
These include journalist’s security, the menace of fake news, and how to understand the links between the media, democracy and elections.
Every year, World Freedom Day is held on May 3 to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
Yet, threats and attacks against the media continue to increase, putting the lives of journalists at risk. A 2017 report by the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) said that media freedom continue to fall around the world as journalists are “being threatened by government censorship, organised crime and commercial pressures caused by the growth of the internet.”
Eighty journalists were killed last year while 348 were detained, making the year one of the dangerous moments to be a journalist, according to a 2018 report by Reporters Without Borders, an organisation that monitors the treatment of the media by authorities in over 130 countries.
In Africa, over 66 journalists, as of 2017, have been detained for doing their work, with the following countries being the worst jailers: Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea, Congo Brazzaville, Niger, Nigeria, and Somalia.
What is worrying is that in some of these countries, there have been painful silences from authorities over the whereabouts of some journalists who have been reported missing over the years.
As the world marks World Press Freedom Day, friends and families of the following missing journalists continue to press authorities for their return:
Anthony Madu, the 14-year-old Nigerian dancer from Lagos who gained admission to a prestigious ballet…
Actor-host Wayne Brady recently opened up about his early financial struggles in his now thriving…
Mia Arianna, also known as @mia.ariannaa on TikTok, helped her son become an honorary team…
Alvin Gauthier, a Grand Prairie USPS postman, recently went above and beyond to brighten a…
Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed is the first female commander of the air force and…
Benjamin E. Mays High School brought together its 272 senior class members for a meeting…
Afrika Owes' emotional response to learning that she had passed the bar exam on her…
A 49-year-old New York attorney was on April 26 sentenced to 10 years in federal…
During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday, pop legend Cher opened up…
Authorities in Florida said an 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed by his 14-year-old…
The famous Taylor Schlitz family is making headlines once more as the youngest of the…
Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Tahra Grant as its Chief Communications Officer. She replaces Robert…
Meet Ashley M. Fox, the founder of Empify and the first in her family to…
Tyra Banks, the iconic former host of Dancing With the Stars, has made a delightful…
A Brazilian woman named Érika de Souza, 42, is under investigation for manslaughter after authorities…