Wednesday marked the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, which is commemorated globally on May 3.
The World Press Freedom Index lists Norway as the country with the highest level of press freedom. South Africa is ranked 25 out of 180 countries, up 10 spots from 2022.
That is good news. In fact South Africa is listed above countries including the UK, Australia, Belgium, Italy, the US. Namibia is the top-ranked African nation, coming in at 22.
What’s not good news is that over the last decade, the bigger picture is not looking rosy.
In 2013, 26 countries (14.4%) were listed as being in a “good situation”, while 20 countries (11.1%) were in a “very serious situation”.
In 2023, the tide has turned. Only eight countries (4.4%) are in a good situation, while the number of countries in a very serious situation has risen to 31 (17.2%). North Korea, China and Vietnam are the worst offenders.
So the stats clearly show that press freedom is decreasing. Not for the first time, fake news is listed as one of the main causes.
Reporters Without Borders recorded that 546 journalists have been detained worldwide up to Wednesday, while six journalists have reportedly been killed worldwide this year.
The Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) annual prison census has found that 363 reporters were jailed for their work up to December 1 2022 — a new global high that overtakes the previous year’s record by 20%.
Unesco reveals that 86 journalists were killed in 2022, “amounting to one every four days, up from 55 killings in 2021”, a situation that UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres describes as “unbelievable”.
At least 15 journalists were killed in Ukraine in 2022 while covering the war, while CPJ documented 30 journalists killed in Latin America in 2022.
Among them is Antonio de la Cruz, who was killed by unknown assailants while leaving his home, in Ciudad Victoria, in Tamaulipas state, Mexico, in June 2022.
In Haiti, journalist Romelson Vilcin was killed after being hit in the head by a teargas canister fired by police during a demonstration in October 2022.
Many local journalists have been attacked and intimidated while carrying out their duties, often by the very government employees who we rely on to uphold our laws and democracy.
In Colombia in October, two men fatally shot journalist Rafael Emiro Moreno Garavito while he was at the fast-food restaurant he owned. Moreno, the director of independent news outlet Voces De Córdoba, had been threatened for years for his reporting on political corruption and drug-trafficking groups.
In May 2022, Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank town of Jenin, most likely by a soldier.
And the list goes on ...
One of the cornerstones of the UN’s universal declaration of human rights is that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
In South Africa, freedom of expression is enshrined in our constitution, and though it makes for impressive reading, in reality there is still much work to be done.
Many local journalists have been attacked and intimidated while carrying out their duties, often by the very government employees who we rely on to uphold our laws and democracy.
In March this year, eNCA reporter Silindelo Masikane, cameraman Thamsanqa Chamane and Zululand Observer journalist Gaddafi Zulu were assaulted and manhandled while doing their work.
Zulu was allegedly slapped, punched and humiliated by former Mtubatuba mayor Mandla Zungu and his bodyguards.
His laptop, cellphone and notepad were confiscated by officials and were reportedly returned to him — damaged — only after he opened a case with the police.
Zulu’s only crime was to interview a newly-appointed administrator who had been prevented from entering the premises.
Also in March, Newcastle Advertiser journalist Estella Naicker was intimidated and manhandled by town authorities — including mayor Xolani Dube — while covering a story on potholes.
Her phone was confiscated and the photos she had taken were deleted before it was returned to her.
The Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia), which President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law in 2020, has also quickly become a useful tool to hide behind among government officials.
While the legislation, which governs the law of data protection and privacy in South Africa, is much needed, journalists are increasingly finding that it is being incorrectly applied to prevent information that is clearly in the public interest from being released.
While the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) — which gives the constitutional right of access to any information held by the state or private bodies that is required for the exercise and protection of any rights — is an available remedy, it is lengthy and often costly, and therefore not used as often as it should be.
So while the fact that South Africa has improved on the global rankings of press freedom is a positive move, we cannot become complacent.
Media outlets and organisations such as the South African National Editors Forum must remain vigilant, holding those with power to account.
Press freedom is not just for the press — it is for all of us. It goes hand in hand with democracy, law enforcement and government accountability.
And in a world where freedom of the press is under threat, democracy is on life support.
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