May 01, 2018

The long walk to press freedom

located:	Egypt, Somalia, Guinea
editor:	Bob Koigi

Journalism is increasingly becoming one of the most dangerous careers the world over in what points to a worrying trend as governments, politicians and the private sector coalesce to defeat long-hard won gains of pluralistic media and the freedom of speech.

As the world this week marks the 25th celebration of the World Press Freedom Day, various reports point to a general decline in media freedom globally, with journalists facing intimidation, detention, threat to family members, arrests and murder.

What is increasingly mutating into a dangerous trend is the rise of populist leaders who are branding journalists and the free press as enemies of the people. Christened ‘The Trump effect’, these attacks are undermining public trust in an institution that the world, including these politicians, is inextricably reliant on for peace and order.

In Africa, where some of the world’s worst performing countries in the annual World Press Freedom index, released by Reporters Without Borders, are to be found, including Egypt, Guinea Djibouti and Somalia, muzzled press freedom has sparked a series of ripple effects. This includes some of the most brazen corruption cases, death and disappearance of opposition leaders and dissidents, and a proliferation of unprecedented economic crimes.

Yet despite these figures (and realities) some of the continent’s scribes have dared the most atrocious regimes to lift the lid on numerous malfeasances, defeating bullets with the power of the pen and for that, they deserve international recognition.

This year’s UNESCO-Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize recipient, Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu, will be receiving this prestigious honour in prison, where he has been incarcerated since 2013 after he was arrested for covering the Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square demonstrations in Cairo. The country’s prosecution has recommended a death sentence. Mahmoud remains a poster child for resilience and dedication to a cause that tens of thousands of people the world over have vowed to defend.

Media freedom is sacrosanct and must be guarded preciously for the prosperity of any nation. To quote the UN Secretary General António Guterres, “Promoting a free press is standing up for our right to truth.”