Latest news with #InternationalPressFreedomDay
IOL News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Hypocrisy Behind Caroline James and amaBhungane's Paternalistic International Press Freedom Day Posturing
By Edmond Phiri On International Press Freedom Day, Caroline James published an article about how investigative journalism platform amaBhungane joined Independent Media to challenge a Durban High Court judgment. However, rather than focusing solely on press freedom issues, James opened her piece with a pointed attack against Independent Media's Chairperson, Dr Iqbal Survé. The article's arrogant, racist and paternalistic undertone was impossible to ignore. James begins by deliberately insulting Dr Survé, stripping him of his title and referring to him by his first name—something the media never does with figures like Koos Bekker or Johan Rupert. 'There are few people who hate us more than Iqbal Survé, the chairperson of Independent Media,' James opens her cynical piece, continuing with: 'So why would we spend the limited resources we have fighting to defend Independent Media in court?' In framing her piece this way, amaBhungane attempts to claim moral superiority and congratulate themselves for their supposed magnanimity. Though presented as a defence of press freedom, the article was less about press freedom and more about amaBhungane's self-congratulation. It also revealed their paternalistic attitude in portraying themselves as a white saviour rescuing a black media house that 'couldn't afford legal fees'. There was little genuine concern for the principle of free expression beyond the PR value of the courtroom contest. AmaBhungane's true motivation becomes clear when James mentions how the Durban judgment contradicted a previous but different court ruling involving businessman Zunaid Moti. 'In 2023, businessman Zunaid Moti sought to gag amaBhungane from reporting on his business and to obtain details of the documents we received from a source,' she writes. When James praises the Johannesburg High Court's 'stirring endorsement of the importance of a free and independent media' in the Moti case, her agenda becomes clear. The 'regressive judgment that threatens media freedom' wasn't just endangering media freedom; it was threatening AmaBhungane's specific victory against Moti. Independent Media was merely a strategic convenience for their purposes. Meanwhile, amaBhungane has remained conspicuously silent when their own journalists have launched scathing attacks against Dr Survé, his publications, and editors. Their sister publication, Daily Maverick, has published vicious propaganda against Independent Media, with cartoonists and columnists hurling countless insults at Survé and his media house. AmaBhungane and Caroline James have remained silent throughout this campaign, apparently seeing no violation of press freedom when media rivals are targeted. Where was James and AmaBhungane's gallant fight for media freedom when banks shut down Independent Media's accounts, hampering their ability to operate and effectively pushing them toward closure? With no allegation of misconduct and no due process observed, this action represented a far graver menace to media freedom. Currently, Independent Media and its holding company continue fighting to keep their bank accounts open, without which they cannot operate or pay their staff and journalists. The arbitrary closure of bank accounts without due process represents a far greater threat to media freedom than the court case amaBhungane has chosen to highlight. When Independent Media's bank accounts were arbitrarily closed, amaBhungane and colleagues seemed to cheer on the development. AmaBhungane's journalist, Dewald van Rensburg, led the charge through sensational headlines like 'Strike three: Is Iqbal Survé finally unbankable?' Where was their commitment to media freedom when an organisation that committed no wrongdoing had its ability to operate shut down without due process? The worst violations of press freedom have actually been perpetrated by amaBhungane itself and its allies in white-owned media. They have invested significant resources in undermining Independent Media's credibility so that it isn't viewed as a legitimate alternative voice. Writers like myself who hold positions contrary to AmaBhungane's face relentless attacks and false accusations of being part of 'Survé's glitchy propaganda machine.' These accusations themselves constitute the real propaganda, designed to delegitimise voices that don't align with theirs. Press freedom demands more than courtroom rhetoric. It's about allowing diverse voices, including those you disagree with. The white mainstream media's dedicated campaign against Independent Media represents one of the most egregious violations of media freedom. AmaBhungane's platitudes ring hollow when they continue to undermine another media house's voice, credibility, and audience reach. When Independent Media writers labelled amaBhungane 'Stratcom,' it wasn't out of hatred but to expose the propaganda campaign James and colleagues waged against Independent Media, which undermines press freedom. AmaBhungane could have better used its 'limited resources' to defend genuine press freedom, rather than exploiting a court case for public relations and propaganda purposes. Caroline James' AmaBhungane article reveals its own hypocrisy. When it truly mattered for them to defend press freedom, they remained silent because it didn't serve their agenda. Their court 'defence of Independent Media' was nothing but cynical self-interest. True press freedom begins with how you treat your fellow media industry outlets, not with self-aggrandising platitudes. * Edmond Phiri is an independent writer, commentator and analyst. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
Irish Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Journalists pay tribute to late Lyra McKee as her picture is unveiled at Belfast's Reporters Bar
A photograph of the late journalist Lyra McKee has been unveiled in The Reporters Bar in Belfast to mark International Press Freedom Day. Ms McKee (29) died after being struck by a bullet fired at police during rioting in the Creggan area of Derry on April 18th, 2019. The New IRA admitted responsibility. Before her death, Ms McKee was also a campaigner for women's reproductive rights and for equality for people in the LGBTQ+ community. Just a few weeks before her death, she had been listed by The Irish Times as one of the 10 rising stars of Irish writing. READ MORE The Reporters Bar, which opened in 2021, is located in what was once the home of many of the city's press offices and is next to the old Belfast Telegraph building. The bar reflects Belfast's publishing past and features dozens of photos Northern Ireland reporters and framed articles. The picture was unveiled at an event attended on Saturday by Ms McKee's sister, Nichola McKee Corner, and National Union of Journalists assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley, Anne Hailes, who is chair of the union's Belfast and district branch, and Ciaran Hanna from the branch. The picture of Lyra McKee now hangs on a wall at The Reporters Bar in Belfast. Photograph: Kevin Cooper/Photoline World Press Freedom Day was established in 1993 by the UN General Assembly to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Last year, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) declared 2024 had been the 'deadliest' year for journalists since it began collecting data three decades ago. At least 124 journalists and media workers were killed last year, nearly two-thirds of them Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank , according to the CPJ. In a statement to mark the 2025 press freedom day, the Council of Europe warned that journalists across the council's 46 member states continued to face 'growing threats to their safety, their integrity, and their right to inform'. 'Freedom of the press cannot exist where fear prevails,' said Maja Zaric, chair of the committee for media and information society of the Council of Europe. 'Freedom of the media is freedom for all of us, and journalist safety is not a privilege – it is a democratic necessity. Let us defend it – today and every day.'
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Global Press Freedom at 'all-time low' in 2025, RSF says
Representative Image (AI) Global press freedoms were at an "all-time low," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual ranking report on Friday, particularly noting a deterioration under US President Donald Trump. "More than half of the world's population lives in countries with a 'very serious' situation," the France-based, non-profit organization said in its report, released ahead of International Press Freedom Day. RSF said its main index has fallen to its lowest-ever level in the 23 years that it has been tracking press freedom. The rankings are made by experts after considering the number of violent incidents involving journalists in each country, as well as other relevant data. They assess the situation in a country or territory in five categories: politics, law, economy, socio-culture and security. What did RSF say about press freedom in the US? RSF noted that the situation in the US has worsened since Trump took office in January. "In the United States, Donald Trump's second term as president has led to an alarming deterioration in press freedom, indicative of an authoritarian shift in government," RSF said. "His administration has weaponized institutions, cut support for independent media, and sidelined reporters." The media watchdog referred to his administration cutting funding for state-funded broadcasters such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as well as US foreign development aid that assisted media outlets overseas. On Friday, Trump announced an executive order cutting funding to public news outlets NPR and PBS , calling them biased. He also said he was considering taking legal action against The New York Times . The US fell two places from 2024 to the 57th spot behind Sierra Leone in West Africa. The report said vast regions of the US were turning into "news deserts." "When journalists are impoverished, they no longer have the means to resist the enemies of the press — those who champion disinformation and propaganda," RSF Editorial Director Anne Bocande said in a statement. Online advertising rose to $247.3 billion (roughly €218 billion) in 2024, but a major chunk of it was going to tech giants such as Meta, Google and Amazon rather than news organizations, RSF said. Germany falls below top 10 in ranking ' The report noted that Europe was the region in the world where journalists enjoyed the most freedom, with China, North Korea and Eritrea as the bottom three out of 180 countries. RSF Managing Director Anja Osterhaus said, "more than half of the world's population now lives in countries where we categorize the press freedom situation as very serious. Independent journalism is a thorn in the side of autocrats." Norway topped the global rankings for the ninth year in a row, followed by Estonia and the Netherlands. The situation was rated as "good" only in seven countries, all of which lie in Europe. Germany, which was in the 10th place last year, dropped to the 11th spot. RSF owed the drop to an "increasingly hostile working environment for media professionals in Germany, particularly due to attacks from the far right." The report said German journalists also faced difficulties when reporting on the conflict in the Middle East. The report also highlighted the plight of Palestinian journalists reporting on Israel's attacks on Gaza. "In Gaza, the Israeli army has destroyed newsrooms, killed nearly 200 journalists and imposed a total blockade on the strip for over 18 months," it said. Israel itself fell 11 places to the 112th position, and "continues to repress its own news media," the report read.
