The continent’s journalists have tried – with increasing success – to present a more accurate and nuanced picture of their home and its myriad peoples and cultures. They have striven at the same time to hold their governments accountable by exposing corruption and airing the views of the opposition, civil society, the poor and the marginalized.
News organizations around the continent have played an indispensable role in Africa’s transition to more open and responsive political and economic systems, as well as in the empowerment of the powerless, especially women – goals African leaders themselves have set and deemed critical to democratic development.
Without free and independent media, Africa would be unable to monitor progress towards – much less achieve – its agreed goals in health, education or economic growth. But the continent’s media continue to face intense political pressures and other external obstacles. In too many countries, news organizations are threatened by criminal
prosecutions, arbitrary closures and other assaults on their freedom.
The economic viability of Africa’s media enterprises – crucial to their independence and professionalism – is also at risk. Media have been hampered by insufficient capital, a lack of market data, inconsistent and often onerous regulatory regimes and the inherent difficulties of operating in less developed markets.
The digital revolution in broadband and mobile phones offers great possibilities for growth, but demands major new investments and bold new business models. In the wealthiest nations of the world, many of the best-established media organizations face grave financial problems. In Africa these challenges are even more acute. Yet at the same time, thanks to the emergence of new information and communication technologies, the continent is a vast laboratory for global media innovation, with unrivalled room for further expansion into under-served populations.
Source: Africa World News
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