This archive report was first published on 7 June 2020.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across Africa, the continent's media outlets are facing unprecedented challenges. With sales and advertising income plummeting, many media houses have been forced to slash wages, halt printing, or even lay off staff.
According to Qasim Akinreti, chairman of the Lagos Union of Journalists, hundreds of jobs have been lost in Nigeria alone in the past four months. 'What is happening in Nigeria is not peculiar to us. The whole world is feeling the impact,' he said.
Kenya's national regulator has unveiled a $1 million fund to help some 150 broadcasters weather the storm, but there are fears that state aid could increase political interference in the media sector. 'The government has been harassing the media. Several journalists are facing trials for frivolous offences,' said University of Lagos lecturer Olubunmi Ajibade.
Just as the spread of the virus has caused revenues to dwindle, it has also posed unprecedented logistical challenges to media outlets. Lockdowns have hampered reporting, social distancing has forced journalists to work remotely with poor internet or electricity supplies, and protective equipment has added new costs.
On the streets, there have been reports of security forces harassing journalists trying to do their work. In Ghana, soldiers enforcing virus restrictions 'assaulted' two reporters in April, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
