Virus crisis piles pressure on African media
Collapsing revenues, rising layoffs: the coronavirus crisis is battering media outlets across Africa which were already struggling for cash and often facing pressure from hostile authorities.
The news headlines of cutbacks was sudden and painful for journalists at two of Nigeria's most popular independent newspapers when bosses from The Punch and Vanguard made their announcements last month. "
It had been a rude shock for me personally because I didn't do anything wrong to warrant such treatment," one Punch veteran told AFP, asking not to be named as he was still owed a "token" payoff.
The redundancies were just the latest going to Nigeria's press one of the most vibrant on the continent as the monetary fallout from the pandemic has sent sales and advertising income plunging. "What's happening in Nigeria is not peculiar to us.
Depends upon is feeling the impact," said Qasim Akinreti.the chairman of the Lagos Union of Journalists."For all of us in the Nigerian media, the story may be the same -- we have lost a huge selection of jobs before four months."- Demands state aid -In Kenya some media houses slashed wages by up to half, in Uganda a respected weekly halted printing, and in Namibia hours have already been reduced and redundancy schemes fast-tracked.
The speed and severity of the existing crunch has sparked demands government bailouts -- with private papers in Cameroon even holding a "dead press" day to denounce a lack of action. Authorities in a few countries have heeded the pleas for help.
Kenya's national regulator on Friday unveiled what it called a "historic" fund worth slightly below $1 million to greatly help some 150 broadcasters weather the storm."This challenge of COVID-19 has squeezed life from television set and r / c," said David Omwoyo, the head of the Media Council of Kenya.
Officials from Nigeria's journalist union said it had appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to supply emergency aid to distressed media.But there are fears that state aid would only increase political interference in sectors around Africa that already are often dominated by powerful vested interests.
"The federal government has been harassing the media. Several journalists are facing trials for frivolous offences," University of Lagos lecturer Olubunmi Ajibade said of the situation in Nigeria."Collecting bailout funds from government at the moment will compromise their independence and freedom."
Just as the spread of the virus has caused revenues to dwindle, it has additionally posed unprecedented logistical challenges to media outlets.While the official figures -- more than 170,000 infections and 4,700 deaths across the continent -- have risen slower than elsewhere on the planet, governments have still imposed tough restrictions.
Lockdowns have hampered reporting, social distancing has forced journalists to work remotely with poor internet or electricity supplies, and protective equipment has added new costs.On the streets there were reports of security forces harassing journalists trying to do their work.In Ghana among West Africa's most open democracies soldiers enforcing virus restrictions "assaulted" two reporters in April, the Committee to safeguard Journalists said.
A raft of countries including South Africa have introduced legislation criminalising the spreading of disinformation about the pandemic.Authorities insist the measures are had a need to tackle a flood of dangerous falsehoods surrounding the virus. But media professionals say journalists are already trying to do the work of combatting "fake news" -- and such laws could possibly be used to muzzle them.
Lekhetho Ntsukunyane, who heads the Lesotho branch of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, said two journalists in the tiny kingdom were warned under new rules for spreading misinformation -- limited to it to carefully turn out that their work was accurate.
The federal government of Andry Rajoelina in Madagascar has pushed its control even more and mandated outlets carry all official information about the pandemic."The regime is taking good thing about this requisition to disseminate propaganda," said Nadia Raolimanalina, who runs MBS tv set and two newspapers on the Indian Ocean island nation.
"Messages on COVID-19 no more occupy an important place in the president's speeches, which should be broadcast within their entirety." She complained that journalists could not investigate key issues as sources feared "going to prison for spreading false information". "The official information is incomplete and the state has concealed the real information which risks tarnishing its image."
