Search for bravest women journalists

WASHINGTON, US: The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) is seeking nominations for its 2013 Courage in Journalism Awards and Lifetime Achievement Award. 22 Feb 2013 10:33

Independent media losing foothold

[Abderrahim El Ouali] The Moroccan government's announcement that it would issue new public media guidelines at the end of May has reignited a stormy debate around independent media in the kingdom. 31 May 2012 10:10

Arab TV springs to life: Pay TV subscribers to top 10 million in 2012

LONDON, UK: Record numbers of households across the Middle East and Africa are signing up for pay TV, according to new research from Informa Telecoms & Media. 2 Nov 2011 11:35

African people disillusioned with leadership - Moeletsi Mbeki

[Issa Sikiti da Silva: @sikitimedia] "African people - like me - are completely disillusioned with the performance of their leaders because of what they have done and what they are doing, and for me these people should not be called leaders, but rather the elite," Moeletsi Mbeki, brother of former South African president Thabo Mbeki and chairman of the SA Institute of International Affairs, said, speaking at the CNN-MultiChoice media forum currently taking place in Bryanston, Johannesburg, on Friday, 24 June 2011. 24 Jun 2011 11:56

MTV base launches mini-documentary series

JOHANNESBURG / LAGOS: MTV base today, 6 June 2011, launches its new mini-documentary series, Touching Base. The series aims to present a new generation of "Afro-cool" in African urban culture. The documentary series aims to highlight talented young individuals from Africa. 6 Jun 2011 10:29

Anton Hammerl believed dead; much sorrow, anger

South African photographer Anton Hammerl, who'd been missing in Libya since 5 April 2011, is presumed dead. According to eyewitnesses, Hammerl was shot on that day by Gaddafi's forces in an extremely remote location in the Libyan desert and his injuries were such that he could not have survived without medical attention. 20 May 2011 09:29

Decline in press freedom experienced in key countries - report

WASHINGTON: The number of people worldwide with access to free and independent media declined to its lowest level in over a decade, according a Freedom House study released yesterday, 2 May 2011. The report, Freedom of the Press 2011: A global survey of media independence, found that a number of key countries experienced significant declines, producing a global landscape in which only one in six people live in countries with a press that is designated Free. 3 May 2011 14:00

Concern mounts over missing SA journo as govt scrambles to assist

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As concern mounts over the fate of Anton Hammerl, a South African photographer missing in Libya alongside two US journalists and one Spanish photographer, the Presidency said yesterday, Wednesday, 20 April 2011, that President Jacob Zuma has been briefed on the attempts made by the SA mission in Libya to locate Hammerl. Reports from Washington DC also suggest that the White House is very concerned about their well-being and it is trying hard to assist them in any way it can. 21 Apr 2011 11:10

WAN-IFRA supports new resolution in MENA

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has called on governments across the Middle East and North Africa to seize a historic opportunity "to recognise and support the essential role a free and independent press must play in the democratisation process." 11 Apr 2011 06:40

African politicians ban media to avoid criticism - Henry Maina

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The fundamental reason that many African governments ban and harass the media has more to do with personal connotations than other issues, Kenya's Henry Maina, director of Article 19 Eastern Africa, told delegates at the two-day Regulations and Rights media conference last week in Johannesburg. 16 Mar 2011 10:22

Dario Milo and media law: is legal sky a limit for journalists?

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] There is some substantiated regulation of what the media can do and what it cannot do, but the balance must be struck between what the law has prescribed and freedom of expression, Prof Dario Milo, Wits University media law visiting professor and Webber & Wentzel partner, said last week in Johannesburg at the two-day Regulations and Rights media conference. 15 Mar 2011 14:01

Loeries 2011 opens for entries, categories revised

The Loerie Awards launched its 2011 campaign, Tuesday 15 March 2011, entitled "Don't hate. Create", created by Draftfcb and supported by a mobisite and specially developed augmented reality apps, linking digital technology to the printed media, along with a revamp of its award categories. 15 Mar 2011 13:19

Judging panel announced for 2011 Diageo Awards

LONDON: The panel of judges has been announced for the eighth Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards set to take place on 30 June 2011. The annual awards aims to encourage more prolific reporting of economic opportunities in Africa and to celebrate excellence in business journalism. 15 Mar 2011 10:37

What to do with critical media: to regulate or not to regulate?

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As governments across the African continent come under increasing pressure from critical media, 'vulture' ruling parties believe the only way to deal with this 'surrogate opposition' is to regulate it through statutory mechanisms that will eventually dent its wayward reporting. But some African voices of reason, such as Zambia's Fred M'membe, argue that the restriction of good media never produces good media. 14 Mar 2011 10:50