High stakes: Interventions to diffuse tensions and support safety of journalists during elections

Create a safe working environment for journalists through training of police officers on the role of journalists and the media;
Expand their understanding of human rights norms, and
Engage professional media bodies to raise concerns over media conduct or content;

Familiarise themselves with policies, regulations and laws relating to electoral issues;
Commit to accurate and balanced reporting and to correct inaccurate stories sincerely and without prejudice;

To carry out training for both journalists and police officers on how to handle conflict situations;
That political parties needed to be brought into these discussions, as they were also at the forefront of media freedom violations.

Lesotho’s code of conduct – a game changer

CIPESA and KICTANet unpack the who, how and impact of disinformation

The weakest link in disinformation is the citizen, and therefore, one of the most effective ways to tackle the issue is to empower the citizenry to be able to detect and respond wisely to misinformation. If the general public is not informed, it is a lost battle.
There is a thin line between misinformation and mal-information, and it can easily be blurred.
The [Kenya’s] Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Act 2018 is a double-edged sword that censors, yet tries to get some accountability from the general public in regard to spreading misinformation.
Safaricom reported that during the 2017 election 50% of its time was spent monitoring fraudulent interactions.

In brief

To get an understanding of who’s who in the upcoming two rounds of elections in Madagascar, Global Voices has developed a mini-guide “highlighting information sources that are worth considering to keep abreast of Malagasy news.”
In Eritrea, the families of Dawit Isaak, Seyoum Tsehaye, Amanuel Asrat and Dawit Habtemichael have come together under the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights global advocacy campaign Hear Their Voices. These journalists and their colleagues have been “held incommunicado for 22 years without charge or trial, and without access to family, consular assistance, or the right to legal counsel have not been seen since.”
Just over a week after after men in plainclothes picked up Samira Sabou from her home, put a hood over head and drove off, authorities in Niger charged her with treason and cybercrimes. If convicted, Sabou faces the death penalty. The Committee to Protect Journalists called for her immediate release, reporting that in January 2022, “the Niamey High Court sentenced Sabou to a one-month suspended prison sentence and a fine for “defamation by an electronic means of communication” related to coverage of drug trafficking issues in Niger.” She was provisionally released on 11 October.
Johnathan Beukes, the managing editor of state-owned New Era newspaper was suspended, after publishing an editorial critical of Namibia’s judiciary.

2023-11-01 | | English |