Journalists play a crucial role as public watchdogs, providing unbiased factual information and conducting research to help society make informed decisions and hold those in power accountable.
Unfortunately, repressive governments have increasingly threatened this role, obstructing free speech and democracy across all forms of media, including print, television, and radio. Media practitioners face various forms of harassment, such as torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and intimidation.
In 2022, the UNESCO observatory recorded 86 killings of reporters and media workers worldwide, a significant increase from the average of 58 killings per year from 2019 to 2021.
In Africa alone, at least 56 journalists were imprisoned in 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. On this episode of On “One Slot,” Central Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, Lewis Mudge sheds more light on these pertinent issues.
