Researching Press Freedom in Africa: African Journalism Studies Empirical and Theoretical Interventions Over the Years
The topic of press freedom has been at the heart of African Journalism Studies (AJS)’ theoretical and empirical interventions from its very inception in the 80s, with some of the pioneering scholarly articles focusing on the intricacies of press freedom in apartheid South Africa. These were followed by a raft of related articles over the years, including dedicated themed issues such as ‘Press Freedom in South Africa’ (1989), ‘Focus on Press Freedom in Africa’ (2011) and ‘Practices, Policies and Regulation in African Journalism’ (2019). This sustained commitment to subjecting the contested discourses surrounding press freedom to scholarly scrutiny remains central to AJS’s agenda. To commemorate this year’s World Press Freedom Day (3rd of May), we have pulled together a selection of articles that provide a flavour of some of the research on press freedom that the journal published between 2011 and 2021. Collectively, the articles highlight that, despite widespread shifts towards democratisation across the continent, there has equally been notable democratic backsliding in several countries, which has led to a general disregard of press freedom as evident, inter alia, in the passing of laws and practices that entrench violations of free expression and journalists being continuously harassed or murdered in the discharge of their duties. Other key issues covered encompass state surveillance, censorship, and more progressive developments in defence of press freedom. The latter includes South Africa’s independent co-regulation and press accountability system as well as the creative use of encrypted platforms to minimise physical harm, and state interference in investigative journalism networks. The picture is by no means homogenous as the first article’s comparative analysis of the struggles for a free press in South Africa and India shows. However, just as importantly, there are enduring cross-cutting threats across the continent and other regions of the Global South as shown above. The World Press Freedom Day remains a stark reminder of these threats and the pressing need to mobilise action in defence of the principles of press freedom. AJS continues to provide a platform for rigorous scholarship that explores these critical issues as well as showcasing approaches to defending press freedom.