Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African film-maker was killed by a giraffe while filming on a reserve outside Johannesburg, the game lodge’s owner has said, adding that he died after being air-lifted to hospital. The giraffe hit Carlos Carvalho in the head at the Glen Afric Country …
Read More »Burundi to suspend BBC and VOA radio broadcasts
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi’s press regulator on Friday said it was suspending broadcasts by the BBC and Voice of America (VOA) by local radio stations ahead of a constitutional referendum on May 17. The head of Burundi’s National Communications Council told journalists in the capital Bujumbura that a …
Read More »Facebook rejects Australia media calls for regulation
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Tech giant Facebook has opposed calls by Australian media companies for digital platforms to be regulated, amid an inquiry into their impact on competition in news and advertising markets. The government tasked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission earlier this year with assessing whether platforms …
Read More »Nigerian media under scrutiny over herder-farmer conflict
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A photograph of a man with an assault rifle in front of cattle is frequently used to illustrate Nigerian media stories about bloody clashes between farmers and herders. Another shows men armed with machetes on the rampage. The issue with both is they have nothing …
Read More »New York Times, New Yorker win Pulitzer for #MeToo watershed
New York, United States | AFP | The New York Times and The New Yorker won the Pulitzer Prize for public service on Monday for explosive reporting that brought down Harvey Weinstein and spawned a cultural watershed on the issue of sexual harassment. The prestigious prize was awarded to the …
Read More »Liberia’s Weah, media on edge as reporter flees
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | With one Liberian newspaper facing a $1.8 million defamation case and a BBC journalist fleeing the country, there has been no honeymoon period for the press under the new government of President George Weah. Accused of wanting to muzzle the media, the former footballer-turned-politician has …
Read More »YouTube shooting shows how fake news spirals on social media
Paris, France | AFP | Within minutes of the shooting at YouTube offices in California, social media was awash with conspiracy theories and images of the supposed “shooter” wearing a Muslim headscarf. Some Facebook videos were quick to claim that it was a “false flag” attack, carried out to discredit the …
Read More »COMMENT: Hate speech and media freedom
Whereas Amazing Grace FM has a right to protest against closure, it should apologise to those it offended COMMENT | HERBERT LUGABA | I have been following developments surrounding the closure of Amazing Grace Radio for airing a sermon by a one Nicholas Niyibikora, which many considered insulting and derogatory to …
Read More »Columnists quit Kenyan media group over freedom crackdown
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Eight prominent columnists working for Kenya’s biggest media group quit Tuesday over what they said was increased meddling by government and a loss of media freedom at its outlets. The columnists include George Kegoro, executive director of the Kenyan Human Rights Commission; Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki, …
Read More »UN, AFP launch prize to honor slain Mexican journalists
Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | The UN and AFP launched an award Thursday to honor journalists who risk their lives to cover human rights abuses in Mexico, in tribute to two celebrated reporters murdered last year. The Breach-Valdez Prize will honor journalists who follow in the footsteps of their …
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