Press Freedom, Access to Information, and Media Ethics in Africa Trends, Challenges, and Prospects

The first book to address the deeply interrelated issues of press freedom, access to information, and media ethics in Africa side by side, this comprehensive overview offers comparative analyses of and practical solutions for fragile and emerging democracies on the continent. Drawing on rich empirical data as well as anecdotes and interviews from across Africa, and bringing these into dialog with European and American contexts, the book documents similarities and differences across various African countries, identifies the key actors involved across all of its key policy areas, and links its key areas together in coherent conceptual scheme. Along the way, it explains foundational ethical theories from both the Global North and Global South, including deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, Ubuntu, and communitarianism. These discussions are all to bear on difficult contemporary issues, including media ethics in the African digital media environment. Featuring a comprehensive general introduction, an in-depth chapter covering each of its three central issues, and two further chapters that synthesize all three discussions in order to suggest new paths forward, the book offers an go-to resource for upper-level students, journalists, policymakers, and other practitioners.