Issue
Journalists and media actors in Eastern Africa face harassment and intimidation which pose significant risks to freedom of expression, despite efforts to organise and advocate for press freedom.
How we are helping
This project aims to strengthen media freedom in Eastern Africa through the development of a regional media stakeholders coalition that can effectively represent the broader interests of the media sector, particularly in relation to cross-border challenges.
About the project
Ongoing challenges to media freedom across Eastern Africa are highlighted in a report from project partner, ARTICLE 19 – Global Campaign for Free Expression. The report describes harassment and intimidation faced by journalists and other media actors, which pose significant risks to freedom of expression. While media actors in the region have continued to organise and advocate for press freedom, these efforts are weakened by the absence of a unified coalition that can effectively represent the broader interests of the media sector, particularly in relation to cross-border challenges.
Project partner, ARTICLE 19, will strengthen media freedom in Eastern Africa, with a focus on Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, through the development of a regional media stakeholders coalition. The coalition will foster collaboration among stakeholders and strengthen their capacity to carry out joint advocacy strategies to address cross-border challenges on media freedom.
This will be achieved by:
- convening a regional stakeholders’ forum with 60 participants from four countries to produce a report outlining recommendations for a regional media coalition
- hosting a series of consultations with media stakeholders to establish the coalition’s mission, goals, governance structure, membership criteria, roles and responsibilities
- establishing a formal regional media stakeholders coalition comprising media actors from the four target countries.
- developing policy briefs to inform the coalition’s advocacy engagement
- convening advocacy meetings between coalition members and state actors in target countries, as well as with regional bodies such as the East Africa Community, to address media freedom issues
- hosting online forums for media stakeholders to facilitate knowledge sharing on common challenges, opportunities and cross border collaboration
- developing a training manual covering media advocacy, legal frameworks and press freedom issues specific to the Eastern Africa region
- training 20 people from target countries on safety and digital security and support them to deliver trainings to local media stakeholders in their respective countries.
- raising public awareness of media freedom issues in the region using both social and traditional media platforms.
As a result of the project, it is hoped that journalist and media actors in Eastern Africa will be more able to advocate for media freedom through the support of the coalition, leading to improved government and public awareness and greater freedom of expression throughout the region.
Project Partners
ARTICLE 19 defends and promotes freedom of expression and freedom of information. Founded upon the 19th article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states: '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.' ARTICLE 19 monitors, researches, publishes, lobbies, campaigns, sets standards and litigates on behalf of freedom of expression wherever it is threatened.
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