This archive report was first published on 7 June 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across Africa, the continent's media outlets are facing unprecedented challenges. With revenues plummeting and advertising income dwindling, many independent newspapers and broadcasters are struggling to stay afloat.
According to Qasim Akinreti, chairman of the Lagos Union of Journalists, hundreds of jobs have been lost in the past four months alone. '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 compromise the independence and freedom of the media.
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.
