By Dr Enock Sithole
When political transitions stall and democratic institutions come under pressure, one profession often finds itself on the front line: journalism.
That is the lesson emerging from Guinea-Bissau, where months of political uncertainty following the interruption of the country’s 2025 presidential election have been accompanied by growing pressure on independent media, raising fresh questions about the role of journalism and the importance of educating the next generation of reporters in fragile democracies.
A recent analysis by researchers and media practitioners from the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) argues that Guinea-Bissau has entered a “never-ending transition,” in which political violence, uncertainty and restrictions on civil liberties have become instruments for prolonging power rather than resolving conflict.
Significantly, one of the paper’s three authors is not an academic but a practising journalist and educator, Mamandin Indjai, a reporter at Radio Capital FM, Executive Director of the Capital News newspaper, and a teacher. His involvement reflects the central argument running through the study: that journalism is not merely documenting Guinea-Bissau’s crisis, it is part of the country’s struggle for democracy itself.
The political crisis began after the presidential election of 23 November 2025. Although voting proceeded peacefully, the official results were never announced.
Before the National Electoral Commission could declare a winner, armed soldiers seized control of key institutions, radio and television stations were shut down, a curfew was imposed, borders were closed and a transitional government was installed. More than seven months later, uncertainty continues to dominate political life.
For journalists, the consequences have been immediate.
The PRIF study documents how media organisations have faced intimidation and orders to suspend broadcasting following the death of political activist Vigário Luís Balanta, whose body was found bearing signs of torture in March 2026.
The restrictions form part of a broader pattern in which repression of the media has accompanied attacks on political freedoms.
Yet, the authors argue that independent journalism remains one of the country’s strongest democratic safeguards.
Despite mounting pressure, they write, the media continues to provide “an important beacon of hope”, increasingly supported by international partners committed to protecting press freedom and democratic dialogue.
That observation carries important implications for journalism education. If journalists are expected to investigate abuses of power, expose human rights violations and help citizens distinguish fact from political propaganda, universities and journalism schools have an equally important responsibility: preparing graduates with the ethical judgement, investigative skills and professional resilience needed to operate in difficult political environments.
The Guinea-Bissau experience illustrates that journalism education is not simply about teaching students how to write stories or produce multimedia content. It is about preparing them to report accurately when governments seek to control information, when competing political narratives cloud public understanding, and when rumours spread faster than verified facts.
The PRIF analysis shows how uncertainty itself has become a political strategy. Competing accounts of what happened after the election continue to circulate, with different actors describing events as a military coup, a “fake coup”, an “invented coup”, a conspiracy or a constitutional rescue mission.
In such an environment, journalists require sophisticated skills in verification, source evaluation and contextual reporting to separate evidence from speculation.
Those are precisely the competencies that formal journalism education seeks to develop.
Students learn not only the mechanics of reporting but also media law, ethics, investigative techniques, conflict-sensitive reporting and the responsibilities that accompany freedom of expression.
These foundations become especially valuable when journalists are expected to report on politically polarised societies where misinformation, intimidation and competing narratives dominate public discourse.
The involvement of Indjai in the PRIF publication also illustrates another important dimension of journalism education: the close relationship between professional practice and academic research.
As both a journalist and teacher, he bridges the newsroom and the classroom, demonstrating how journalism education extends beyond universities into news organisations, training institutions and professional development programmes. His contribution highlights how practising journalists can enrich scholarship with first-hand knowledge while helping students understand the realities of reporting in fragile states.
The study’s third co-author, Johanna Mack, whose doctoral research examines media systems in fragile states using Guinea-Bissau as a case study, similarly underscores the growing importance of academic research into journalism itself.
Understanding how media capture, institutional weakness and political instability affect news organisations is becoming an increasingly important field within journalism education worldwide.
Rather than viewing journalism as an isolated profession, the PRIF paper presents it as a pillar of democratic resilience.
Among its recommendations is an explicit call for authorities to stop targeting radio stations over licensing disputes, arguing that “democracy is not built in silence.” The authors stress that independent broadcasting should be protected, not suppressed, because free media enable citizens to participate meaningfully in public life.
Radio occupies a particularly important place in Guinea-Bissau, where literacy rates, internet access and digital infrastructure remain uneven. Community and commercial radio stations continue to serve as essential sources of information, particularly outside urban centres. When those stations are silenced, large sections of the population lose access to reliable news and independent scrutiny of those in power.
The authors also argue that civil society, regional organisations and international partners should continue supporting independent journalism alongside broader efforts to restore constitutional government. Protecting journalists, they suggest, is inseparable from protecting democracy itself.
Their conclusions resonate far beyond Guinea-Bissau. Across Africa, journalism schools are increasingly adapting their curricula to prepare students for digital newsrooms shaped by artificial intelligence, mobile journalism and social media.
At the same time, many countries continue to experience democratic pressures that demand journalists capable of investigating corruption, verifying information, resisting political intimidation and reporting responsibly during periods of instability.
The events unfolding in Guinea-Bissau serve as a reminder that while technologies continue to transform how news is produced and distributed, the fundamental purpose of journalism remains unchanged.
Professional journalists are still needed to ask difficult questions, verify competing claims, hold power to account and provide citizens with accurate information on which democratic participation depends.
In countries facing prolonged political uncertainty, journalism education is therefore more than professional training. It is an investment in democratic resilience.
As the PRIF authors conclude, Guinea-Bissau still has an opportunity to choose a different path—one in which deaths are investigated, the police protect citizens, radio stations remain on air and the country’s long political transition finally comes to an end.
Until then, the work of educating courageous, ethical and independent journalists may prove as important as ever.