Life has gotten tougher for Africa's journalists at a time when their work is more important than ever. Many independent media outlets are struggling to survive the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Y. Chiba
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The coronavirus pandemic is devastating the livelihoods of many journalists across the continent.
In normal times, reporters at the Nigerian independent radio network Dandal Kura International earn the equivalent of around $100 (€92) a month. Now the network has slashed their pay and been forced to ask a third of its staff to stay at home.
"We have about 57 staff members. We have asked 20 people not to come to work and we can only give [those staying at home] 20% of their salaries," explained the network's director, Faruk Dalhatu.
Dandal Kura is based in Maiduguri, the crisis-tested capital of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, once the stronghold of the terrorist group Boko Haram.
The station reaches a large audience, not only in northeastern Nigeria, but also in Chad, Cameroon and Niger — all countries where the Boko Haram is still active.
A lack of advertising is the reason for Dandal Kura's dire straits. Even before the pandemic, the north of the country accounted for only 20% of Nigeria's total advertising budget.
"Now there is no advertising whatsoever," Dalhatu told DW, adding that it was hard for the network to meet fixed costs like salaries and electricity.
"We are facing imminent and total collapse," he said.
Running on passion
The Women VoicesNewspaper in Liberia faces a similar situation.
"We really want to pay our workers well. I always talk about it," the newspaper's publisher Helen Nah Sammie told DW.
But advertising has dried up here too, she said, and her outfit is operating at a loss.
"Even the government, which used to advertise with us, is not advertising. They have debts with the media that they cannot pay," Sammie said.
Press freedom in Africa under threat
Censorship, repression and sanctions: Many African countries continue to struggle with press freedom in 2019. The Press Freedom Index has classified the situation in 26 states as either "bad" or "very bad."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Sibiloni
Uganda: Press freedom stalls
In Uganda, journalists who criticize the government are attacked or kidnapped, while President Yoweri Museveni even described journalists as "parasites" in 2018. Authorities have repeatedly prevented the broadcast of television reports, and threaten to shut down TV stations. A social media tax — the first of its kind in Africa — was introduced in 2018.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Sibiloni
Ethiopia: 250 websites unblocked
Ethiopia, on the other hand, is making progress. Since April 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has facilitated the release of imprisoned journalists and restored access to 250 news websites. Ethiopian TV stations based outside of the country can now also work freely. A commission is currently underway to revise strict media laws, but changes are still pending.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Kolli
Eritrea: Under firm censorship
The media in Eritrea is under the complete control of President Issayas Afeworki. The government shut down all independent outlets in 2001. The only independent radio station currently is Radia Erena, which is run by exiled Eritrean journalists. But its signal is often blocked. Eritrea is ranked third-to-last on the Press Freedom Index, ahead of only North Korea and Turkmenistan.
Image: picture alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com/P. Marshall
Sudan: Journalists up against a 'red line'
Media in Sudan suffered particularly in 2018 under former president Omar al-Bashir. In December approximately 100 journalists were arrested. The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) shut down opposition newspapers. Journalists are forbidden to publish stories which cover any of the 15 so-called 'red line' topics, including the NISS and the army.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Shazly
Burundi: Resignation and self-censorship
Following an attempted coup in 2015, most independent radio stations remain closed. Journalists either live in exile or find it difficult to work freely. By 2018, the media landscape was characterized by fear and self-censorship. In May 2018, Karenga Ramadhan, the president of the National Communications Bureau, announced the suspension of the broadcast of the BBC and Voice of America (VOA).
Image: Getty Images/AFP
Angola: Tentative steps forward
Despite a change of government in 2017, all media outlets are still monitored by authorities. Only Radio Ecclesia and a few websites currently broadcast critical reports. It is difficult to obtain new radio and TV licenses, while all stations are legally required to broadcast presidential speeches. But the 2018 publication of opposition reports in state newspapers is encouraging.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. de Sakutin
Gabon: National media sanctioned
Most publications under the government of President Ali Bongo are partisan in nature. There is also self-censorship. In 2018, both the national media and a foreign broadcaster were sanctioned for criticizing the president and his staff. In January, the government cut off access to the internet and other broadcasters following an attempted coup.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Jordan
DRC: Hope for greater press freedom?
Most press freedom violations in sub-Saharan Africa in 2018 took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Violence, media shut-downs and internet cuts are limiting press freedom. Broadcasters were pulled off the air after being accused of criticizing the government — then under Joseph Kabila. But new president Felix Tshisekedi says he wants to improve the media situation in the country.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Maina
Chad: A year without social media
Any criticism of President Idriss Deby is not tolerated and may even lead to the expulsion of foreign journalists or the kidnapping and detention of Chadian journalists and broadcasters being shut down. In February 2018, media outlets in Chad organized a "Day without Press" protest and stopped reporting entirely. The government retaliated by shutting down social media for a year.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/I. Kasamani
Tanzania: Critics suppressed
President John Magufuli has been suppressing critics since taking office in 2015. More than a dozen media outlets have been shut down and websites and new blogs must pay high fees if they want to stay online. In February 2019, the newspaper The Citizen was forced to close for a week after being accused of deliberately publishing false information.
Image: DW/E. Boniphace
Rwanda: Under strict government control
Under President Paul Kagame, the press is still tightly controlled. Foreign journalists are often not given accreditation. The 1994 genocide is referenced when the government calls critical journalists "divisionists." Many Rwandan journalists have fled the country and work in exile, leading the government to increasingly block access to foreign broadcasters such as the BBC.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Gianluigi Guercia
Zambia: Silencing uncomfortable truths
Since 2016, political tensions have been used as an excuse to undermine freedom of information and the independent press in Zambia. The authorities have shut down the country's main independent newspaper, The Post, and several radio and TV stations had their licenses taken away. In March, a private TV station was forced to close because its reporting was considered biased.
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The news director at Liberia's Truth FM, Oscar Mulbah, says the media was suffering before the coronavirus pandemic hit his country.
"I haven't taken pay for nearly six to seven months. Journalism in Liberia is just about the passion," Mulbah siad.
He points out that these problems have been worsened by the current crisis, when rigorous and truthful reporting is more important than ever.
Direct handouts not always welcome
In Niger, where the media has also faced a loss of advertising revenue, the chief editor of the private radio and TV outlet Saraounia is placing his hopes on the recent relaxation of the lockdown measures.
"We expect many branches to slowly restart their operations. Especially the passengers transportation sector, which is a major advertising agent," Oumarou Gado told DW.
Djadi Mahamadou, a manager at the privately owned radio and TV network Anfani, wants Niger's government to step in and help struggling media outlets.
"You can't just tell companies to shut down and expect them go on supporting running costs by themselves. I am sure that they will help," he told DW.
Dandal Kura Director Faruk Dalhatu also hopes for aid, but he has ruled out direct financial help from the Nigerian government.
"If we are given any handouts, then somebody will try to budge into [Dandal Kura's] editorial independence," he said.
Dalhatu suggests authorities could instead support media by paying for educational programs and advertising related to the pandemic, but he is skeptical. "Some of Nigeria's private television and radio stations belong to politicians, so they are in the politicians' pockets, I am sorry to say," he told DW, promising that Dandal Kura will not sell out.
Independent media coverage of the coronavirus pandemic is essentialImage: DW/A. Dada
Uncertain future
The brain drain from media houses by respected journalists has picked up speed since the crisis.
In Liberia, many former reporters have switched to the public relations sector or found employment with the government, further weakening the press.
The price of oil, a main source of government revenue in Nigeria, has fallen steeply this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I don't feel optimistic. The global economy is suffering," said Dalhatu, adding that this will have an adverse effect on government funding. "We are afraid, really."
Evelyn Kapdeh in Liberia and Boukari Salissou in Niger contributed to this article.
