The Network of African Investigative Reporters and Editors (NAIRE) has made a passionate appeal for the international community to support the efforts of its members in exposing regimes consisting of “kleptocrats who sell out resources, promote incompetence and nepotism, and oppress civil society.”
The call to action issued by NAIRE notes that these regimes not only harass, imprison, and even kill credible journalists, but they also increasingly pay fake news reporters and publications to drown out those who aim to unveil injustice. The group has called on international powers to take note of the cry for freedom that is growing louder in more and more African countries.
The statement, signed by 22 NAIRE members representing or working for media houses in 12 African countries, highlights the importance of the work of investigative journalists in Africa, not only for the African continent but also for the rest of the world.
In its pledge to continue its work as “ethical journalists who stand firm amid a barrage of fake news and paid propaganda,” NAIRE also calls for support from colleagues in countries where journalism is more protected. The group also urges pro-democracy forces, powerful partner countries internationally, the European Union, and the African Union to support professional journalism and forces for democracy, accountability, and transparency on the continent.
NAIRE’s reports are published through African-based publications and ZAM Magazine, and the group has pledged to continue using those platforms to broadcast their calls and pan-African transnational efforts.
The group plans to engage with international supporters of democracy and free media to assist in setting up more professional media platforms of good standard in Africa. The statement has been signed by journalists from Uganda, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Mali, Cameroon, Mozambique, Comoros, Malawi, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria.
The statement also emphasizes the need for international powers to listen to the cry for freedom that is growing louder in more and more of our countries. NAIRE urges international supporters to assist in setting up more professional media platforms of good standard in Africa and to establish this support in dialogue with African citizen’s structures as well as with independent journalists and their networks.
