Liberian journalist beaten for refusing to delete video
Three men beat Wremongar Joe, a journalist with the radio station Prime FM, in Buchanan, some 60 miles (100 kilometres) southeast of the capital Monrovia, on May 7, 2016, after the journalist refused to delete a video of a brawl between a lawmaker and other spectators during a football match, according to media reports.
Tanzania cuts live parliamentary coverage, ending vital news source for citizens
On April 19, the live coverage of proceedings in the Tanzanian parliament ended as a government decision to halt the service went into effect. The move, announced by Information Minister Nape Nnauye in January, has led to protests from the opposition party and journalists’ groups, who said they view the decision to stop live broadcasts…
Uganda blocks social media sites for presidential inauguration
Nairobi, May 12, 2016 – Ugandan authorities should immediately restore access to social media websites and refrain from censoring any websites in the future, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Regulators blocked access to Twitter and Facebook, and to the messaging service WhatsApp today, according to press reports.
Nigerian military bars journalists from covering court-martial
Nigerian military authorities on Monday May 9, 2016 barred journalists from covering the trial of Patrick Falola and Ibrahim Sani, both army major-generals, who are being tried by a court-martial in the capital Abuja, according to news reports.
Nigerian journalist arrested for news report
New York, May 3, 2016 – Nigerian authorities should drop all criminal charges against journalist Jacob Onjewu Dickson and release him without delay, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Dickson has been held in pre-trial detention on incitement charges since Friday.
Double Exposure
When it comes to abusive readers’ comments and tweets from Internet trolls, Katherine O’Donnell has heard it all. For years, O’Donnell, who is night editor of the Scottish edition of the U.K.’s The Times, has borne the brunt of personal attacks, including about her gender, from online trolls who take umbrage at articles in her…
LGBT Reporting in Africa
On a recent trip to Kenya, I sat with S., a gay refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the cramped, one-room apartment he shares with three friends, all straight. The four share a bed, and none know S. is gay. The floor is covered in a vibrant yellow vinyl, their belongings clutter every…