The Global Assault on Press Freedom and What it Means for African Journalists

“The Global Assault on Press Freedom and What it Means for African Journalists,” Mohamed Abdelfattah, Communications Director, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) This conference brings together journalists, academics, and press freedom advocates to examine the status of media freedom and democracy in Africa, and how journalists and academics can collaborate in advancing free speech and democracy. In recent years, threats to freedom of the press in Africa have increased substantially with alarming implications. Throughout the continent, journalists face physical, verbal, and online attacks. Measures aimed at intimidating, silencing, and punishing those deemed as threats include imprisonment, displacement, and de facto exile. As of December 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that 67 journalists were imprisoned across Africa, which is nearly 20% of the 361 journalists jailed globally. In addition to arbitrary imprisonment, African countries are increasingly weaponizing laws against journalists, using national security, antiterror and cybercrime legislation to justify crackdowns on free speech and democratic expression. While these developments are not unique to Africa, the continent has experienced various kinds of authoritarian and antidemocratic regimes (from elected autocrats to military dictators and kleptocratic civilian presidents) that particularly are threatened by and antagonistic towards a free and vibrant press. How have journalists in Africa responded to these authoritarian regimes and their continuing crackdowns on free speech and media freedom? What lessons can we learn from African media responses to democratic backsliding in Africa and beyond? What role can the academy play in advancing free speech and media freedom? How can journalists and academics collaborate in promoting democracy and protecting free speech?