No News Is Bad News: Niger

The polarization within the Central African Republic also extends to the media landscape. Physical attacks and threats against media and journalists are increasing, especially in rural areas where the community radio stations are operating in a very explosive context. Newspapers are radicalizing their discourse and fail to maintain journalistic objectivity. Moreover, media outlets were raided by the former Seleka groups and anti-Balaka militias, destroying broadcast capacity or forcing them to stop reporting. As a result, self-censorship among reporters is rampant. Individual reporters lack safety and there is widespread impunity for violence against journalists. Journalists work in extremely stressful situations, receiving constant threats and intimidation. In July 2018 three Russian journalists were assassinated under unclear circumstances in the proximity of Sibut. Moreover, in 2019, C.A.R. dropped 33 places from 112 to 145 in the RSF index. This is one of the biggest fall backs on this ranking.