News

A study of 30 years of South Africa’s post-apartheid media reforms shows community media has grown but remains fragile. Radios and small publishers reach millions, yet underfunding and news deserts persist. Experts call for stronger policy, sustainable funding, and protection against political interference. Collaboration between government, donors, and media bodies is seen as essential to secure local information access and media sustainability.

Journalism in Ghana demands service, sacrifice and stewardship, navigating financial pressures, political interference and ethical dilemmas. Reporters face tough choices between truth and convenience, and the profession’s integrity relies on courage, resilience and public-minded reporting. Strengthening education, institutional support and ethical training is essential for journalists to uphold their societal role and guide public understanding with integrity.

Richmond Acheampong highlights how journalism in Ghana is a daily negotiation between service, sacrifice and stewardship, as Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie emphasised at the GJA Awards. Reporters navigate financial pressures, political interference and digital disruption while striving to hold power to account and inform the public. Upholding ethical reporting demands courage and resilience, and strengthening education, protections and sustainable business models is essential for journalists to fully embody this mission and guide society with integrity.

A new study by Dr Mulatu Alemayehu Moges argues that Ethiopia’s community broadcasting, long seen as a tool for rural empowerment, is hampered by state control, unclear laws and limited citizen participation. Many stations labelled “community” function under government oversight, curbing editorial independence and public involvement. Moges calls for reforms that strengthen local governance, legal clarity, and citizen-led decision-making so community radio can fulfill its original role as a genuinely public, participatory platform.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly prevalent in public communication practices, it raises as many hopes as concerns about the quality of democratic debate. This article revisits these issues by highlighting the limitations of current ethical frameworks and presenting avenues for reflection on more responsible public communication.

Western and African reporters often cover the same stories through very different lenses, shaping perceptions and policy. Limited resources, donor pressures and reliance on international wires can lead African outlets to replicate crisis-focused Western frames. Building local capacity, diversifying sources, and centring African perspectives can help tell fuller, more accurate stories.

Foreign funding from Western donors to Chinese institutions is shaping journalism education and newsroom practice in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. While this support brings resources and training, it also influences editorial priorities and exposes how vulnerable media systems become when major funders, such as the U.S. under the Trump administration, suddenly pull out.

Amid the explosion of citizen-generated posts and AI-created images, videos and text, we explore why fact-checking has become indispensable to modern journalism. As the boundaries between real and fabricated content blur, verification emerges as the profession’s strongest safeguard for public trust and credible reporting.

In “Reforming African Journalism: Towards a Decolonial and Epistemic Journalism”,Mpêkè-Ntonga Métila Me Nyodi argues that African journalism remains shaped by colonial-era structures and Western ways of knowing. This, he suggests, limits the media’s ability to centre African voices, knowledge systems and agency.

When Professor Sisanda Nkoala talks about journalism, she speaks with the authority of someone who has been both behind the microphone and at the lectern. 

The Mauritius Media Trust, a long-standing institution dedicated to advancing journalism in the island nation, has taken a significant step toward becoming a regional hub for climate change and science journalism in the Indian Ocean region.

The global community of journalism educators has elected a new leader to steer the World Journalism Education Council (WJEC) into a new era of collaboration and academic renewal. Professor Pascal Guénée of the Institut Pratique du Journalisme,  Paris-Dauphine University, was elected Chairperson of the WJEC Steering Committee for the 2025–2028 term at the recent World Journalism Education Congress held in San Francisco, United States.

A new major international survey by the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) has spotlighted mounting pessimism among researchers about the health of the world’s information environment. According to the report titled “Trends in the Information Environment: 2025 Expert Survey Results”, the majority of respondents now believe things are getting worse, faster than ever before.

As the African media landscape evolves under the pressures of digital change, misinformation, and political contestation, journalism education across the continent is also undergoing transformation. Yet, one question continues to spark debate among educators and practitioners: Should journalism and communication be taught as one discipline or as separate fields?