Indeed, one of the most difficult tasks facing journalists in the region is the violation of human rights and freedom of the press by national governments. African journalists have been intimidated, assaulted and thrown in jails. Despite all, even under difficult circumstances, journalists have been paying sacrifices to perform their task as real watchdogs of freedom of expression and have become the ears and mouths of people. It is difficult to say at this point that the situation of the freedom of the press has improved in Africa. The absence of freedom of the press has prevented journalists from freely operating without any threat coming from their governments. In countries like the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zimbabwe, to name a few, journalists cannot operate freely. To the contrary, they are confronted with a plethora of problems such as intimidation, imprisonment and killings thus making it difficult for journalists to perform their duty.

Africa is perhaps the region in the world where the highest number of journalists escapes persecution to find a safe haven in the US and in Europe. Of course, not all African governments are harassing and persecuting journalists, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana are among the handful few hailed for safeguarding press freedom. This is a positive development which needs to be emulated by other governments.

Of course, the yardstick for a country’s transition to democracy is the government’s response to the fundamental issues underlining press freedom. The struggle of peoples of Africa for freedom of expression has been a significant milestone in the effort for democratic reforms in their countries. Censorship, arrests, harassments, charges of treason and genocide to discourage journalists from practicing their profession have not prevented African journalists from expressing concern over the violation of human rights and government corruptions. In this regard, the preservation of freedom of the press is important for the protection of editorial independence and for the free flow of information necessary for the defense of human rights.

The struggle for independent, critical journalism is gathering momentum in Africa. Even journalists working on government-owned media occasionally maintain some distance between themselves and their government. African journalists are fighting against their governments for editorial independence. Of course, press freedom is not given on a silver plate. Journalists have to wage a coordinated struggle against their governments to achieve it. In this connection, it is heartening to point out at this point that journalists continue to bravely confront their governments which respond to critical writings with threat and imprisonment.

Although the mass communication media-radio, television and printed media continue to play an important role as the main source of information, education and entertainment in Africa, they are being hampered from advancing the cause of the people for better life because of the press laws restricting journalists from exercising their obligation. But, for the media to play the role of a watchdog they need to operate in a democratic and tolerant environment. Of course, the free exchange of opinions and information is essential for democratic decision-making.