Niger
Niger has taken significant steps towards strengthening press freedom in recent years, which has led to a fall in violations. However, despite some improvements, media professionals in the country still face attacks, and restrictions on the release of information by the government remain in place. Niger is ranked 59th on the RSF Press Freedom Index.
In 2011, the current government in Niger was democratically elected. However, this government has taken advantage of the security challenges posed by militant groups in order to limit civil liberties. In addition, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the government has failed to provide a proper public information service. The government has also restricted the release of information, with the help of certain international organisations. Access to information is therefore a significant challenge for press freedom in Niger.
Media landscape
Since 2010, Niger has had a press law in place to decriminalise press offences. This law is supposed to eliminate prison terms for media professionals who in the past would have been prosecuted. However, according to Freedom House and RSF, journalists are still regularly arrested, tried and imprisoned for controversial reporting. Most recently, journalists have been attacked for their reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic. The safety of journalists is imperative for them to do their job.
An enabling environment for journalists
The absence of an enabling environment is undoubtedly the greatest challenge for media workers in Niger. An enabling environment is essential for journalists to fulfill their important role in society. However, the restrictions on access to information by the government signals a repression of freedom of the press and thus a threat to the future of journalism in the country. Restrictions on press freedom not only come in the form of limited access to information but also in the form of attacks on journalists.
Our partners in Niger
Free Press Unlimited works with four local partners in Niger. L'Evenement Niger is an independent newspaper which, with the support of Free Press Unlimited, has been online since 2019. The strength of L´Evenement Niger is the quality of their investigative pieces on issues related to good governance, transparency and human rights.
Air Info is an online newspaper largely recognised for the quality of its reports on the arms and drugs trafficking in the Sahara. Free Press Unlimited provides technical and financial support to Air Info especially in building the capacities of its staff. In the field of gender & media, Free Press Unlimited provides financial and technical support to the Association des Femmes Professionnelles de la Communication (APAC-Niger) whose commitment is the promotion of women in the media industry. Regarding the safety of journalists, Free Press Unlimited has a special fund that provides legal assistance and emergency aid to journalists in danger, of which several Nigerien journalists have benefitted from.
CENOZO (Cellule Norbert Zongo) is a West-African network of investigative journalists, with its Headquarters in Burkina Faso, supported by Free Press Unlimited for the publication of 18 articles within the framework of the FinCEN Files project. CENOZO also supported 15 West African journalists in the production of content on the Covid-19 pandemic as part of the Free Press Unlimited project, Covid-19 Response in Africa: Together for Reliable Information.
Photo: unicefguinea
