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Newsmaking Cultures in Africa pp 119–143Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Press Freedom in the African Great Lakes Region: A Comparative Study of Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo

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Abstract

Based on the example of three francophone African countries—Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—this chapter enquires about the relevant factors influencing journalistic freedom in (post-)conflict societies. Using 132 expert interviews conducted between July 2014 and January 2016, the study concludes that press freedom, although enshrined in media legislation and promoted through local professional and international media assistance organizations in the region (such as Search for Common Ground, Internews, or the Panos Institute), faces many constraints at every level in the three countries but also that spaces of freedom sometimes exist beyond expectations. Against the theoretical backdrop developed by Ibelema et al. (2000, 98–115), the results show that in times of crisis and conflict, in particular, politics is the dominant factor influencing press freedom, while in more stable periods, other factors, such as economic constraints, are equally important. Nevertheless, each factor includes a wide diversity of internal dynamics, to the extent that one can discern similarities and differences between countries but not numerically assess and rank their levels of press freedom.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In May 2015, a political crisis emerged in Burundi, leading to the violent closure of the main independent media and more than 100 journalists fleeing the country.

  2. 2.

    Founded in May 1997, with the support of UNESCO, Maison de la presse’s mission is to strengthen the capacity of the Burundian media to host professional media organizations and to meet the training and documentation needs of media professionals.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Anke Fiedler & Marie-Soleil Frère

Authors
  1. Anke Fiedler
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  2. Marie-Soleil Frère
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Writing and Journalism, Falmouth University, Penryn, United Kingdom

    Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara

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Fiedler, A., Frère, MS. (2018). Press Freedom in the African Great Lakes Region: A Comparative Study of Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In: Mabweazara, H. (eds) Newsmaking Cultures in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54109-3_6

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