The government now has a comprehensive blueprint on how to become more open and transparent on all levels, including national security. It’s time to walk the talk — but I’m not holding my breath.
Kenyan journalists and members of civil society marching on the World Press Freedom Day in 2018.
Suleiman Mbatiah/AFP via Getty Images
No matter what tactics are used to muzzle, restrict, limit, or censor information, trustworthy information that serves the public good can still find its way to those who matter most: the citizens.
Under cover of the coronavirus many countries are passing more draconian media laws.
A policeman beats up a journalist in Kampala outside the Daily Monitor and Red Pepper newspapers during a protest at the temporary closure of two newspapers by armed police in May 2013.
Isaac Kasamani/AFP via Getty Images
Uganda media houses pay low wages and offer few development opportunities for journalists, which makes reporters more susceptible to bribes.
Kenyan journalists, some covering their mouths with tape, hold signs during a march to demand for press freedom in Nairobi in 2013.
Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images
More needs to be done to ensure that journalists can do their important work without fear or favour.
Percy Qoboza, editor of The World, second from left, being arrested by apartheid police following the banning of the newspaper in 1977.
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With the demise of Pierre Nkurunziza, all eyes are on Burundi’s new president as he inherits a political framework that has repressed press freedom and silenced independent media voices.
The High Court handed down a mixed decision on the AFP raid on a News Corp journalist, highlighting just how fragile media freedom in Australia really is.
‘More generally, this does reflect a lot of tension and angst within the National party,’ says Michelle Grattan on the Hanson dairy deal.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Even if the government was willing to bend on media freedom, the mindset within the public service remains fixed on secrecy and the control of information.
Some African journalists are concerned that foreign funders may influence what they cover and how.
EPA-EFE/Jayden Joshua
Western aid has resulted in an Anglo-American culture of journalism education which has proved impractical to implement in African countries with illiberal political regimes.
This week’s media raids, including on the ABC, have given Scott Morrison an unwelcome debate about media freedom.
AAP/David Gray
While Scott Morrison and other Liberals have been very concerned about protecting religious freedom, this week’s raids have brought unwelcome questions about media freedom.
The biggest threats are the concentration of media ownership and attempts to legislate the online media environment.
UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt making a statement in the House of Commons in October 2018 about the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
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