The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) has rejected censorship and greater state control of the media as solutions to misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and misuse of artificial intelligence.
FAJ President, Omar Faruk Osman, said Africa needs strong, independent and professional journalism, supported by effective media and information literacy, to protect public trust and strengthen democratic societies.
He made the remarks yesterday at the opening of the FAJ Steering Committee Meeting in Accra, hosted by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).
Mr. Osman said information integrity will be a major issue on the agenda of the two-day meeting, given the growing impact of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and the misuse of AI on public trust and democratic governance.
“The answer cannot be censorship or greater state control over journalists. It must be strong, independent and professional journalism supported by effective media and information literacy,” he said.
He called for African journalists to be fully involved in continental and global discussions on information integrity, stressing that the profession has an important role to play in ensuring that citizens have access to accurate and reliable information.
Journalists face multiple challenges
The FAJ President said journalists across Africa continue to face arrests, intimidation, violence, restrictive laws, online attacks and economic insecurity.
He said poor remuneration and difficult working conditions are also weakening journalism and exposing many media workers to exploitation.
For FAJ, he said, defending media freedom must also include defending the labour rights of journalists.
“A journalist who has no fair salary, secure contract, social protection or right to organise cannot be truly free,” Mr Osman said.
He called on journalists’ unions and associations to organise practitioners, defend their rights and improve their working and living conditions.
Africa must tell its own story
Mr. Osman also called for greater African ownership of the narratives about the continent.
He said African journalists need the freedom, resources and professional space to tell Africa’s story from African perspectives.
“For too long, our continent has been presented through narratives that do not always reflect its realities, aspirations or achievements,” he said.
The FAJ Steering Committee is expected to discuss governance and affiliation matters, strengthen Africa’s voice within the global journalists’ movement and prepare for next year’s Continental Congress of African Journalists.
The Congress bringS together journalists’ unions and associations from across Africa to discuss common challenges, elect leadership and determine the future direction of the Federation.
He said the decisions taken at the Accra meeting should help ensure that the Congress is democratic, inclusive and representative of the journalists FAJ serves.
A Daily Guide Report