How not to report on Eastern Congo
Western media coverage of the DRC conflict is riddled with inaccuracies, oversimplifications, and racial bias—reinforcing dangerous narratives rather than informing the world.
Journalism
The memefication of politics
On our year-end publishing break, we reflect on how 2024’s contradictions reveal a fractured world grappling with inequality, digital activism, and the blurred lines between action and spectacle.
Angola’s ‘well-behaved’ media
Press freedom under President João Lourenço is in bad shape.
A comunicação social ‘bem comportada’ de Angola
A precariedade da liberdade de imprensa em Angola sob o mandato do presidente João Lourenço.
The revolution will be photographed
Peter Magubane was one of South Africa’s foremost resistance photojournalists, exposing the world to the cruel spectacle of the apartheid regime.
Editing pan-Africanism
Many know Frene Ginwala, the iconic anti-apartheid activist, as democratic South Africa’s first speaker of parliament. But few know of her time building pan-African media in Dar Es Salaam.
To speak freely in Zambia
The Zambian state must make better concessions regarding free speech. The people have been demanding that since independence.
Western media is missing the point
The excessive reporting of the interplay between non-African powers in the Sahel—however crucial it may be to understand regional dynamics—betrays a Western-centric bias in international news coverage.
Detained and deported
Journalism has become a risky and dangerous business in Benin.
The institution of Alex Magaisa
Magaisa, who died this month, set agendas, and demanded the highest standards from the political and intellectual classes in Zimbabwe.
The secret offshore world of the Kenyatta family
The Pandora Papers connects Kenya's ruling family to secret accounts in offshore companies and tax havens. But, state looting started with Jomo Kenyatta.
The media’s crisis on Ethiopia
Western media coverage of Ethiopia’s political crisis turns a blind eye to the grassroots movement behind the protests.
Journalism: The essential non-essential
COVID-19 re-affirmed journalism is a public good, yet as newsrooms collapse, journalism is in danger.
I only have eyes for Bobi Wine
Is western media’s mostly individualized focus on the Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine helpful to his movement?
Our women on the ground
A new book of essays offers a nuanced glimpse into the complexities of reporting on the Arab world, including North Africa.
Who’s reporting Africa now?
NGOs and freelance journalists are increasingly filling the vacuum being left by a declining Western media presence. It's not all good.
The Angolan regime’s least favorite journalist
Despite the political reforms by Angola’s government, the harassment of anti-corruption journalist Rafael Marques continues.
Jeffrey Gettleman’s tired tome
Jeffrey Gettleman was until recently the East Africa correspondent for The New York Times. He left Africans a memoir, 'Love, Africa.'
How to cover Eritrea
Eritrea has expelled all international correspondents and banned local private newspapers since 2001. One consequence is
How do we talk about rebel groups?
Seeking to interrogate unhelpful media (and official) narratives that permeate everyday discourse and obscure the truth about these terrorist organizations is important.