Namibia loses top press freedom spot in Africa
In addition to Namibia dropping 12 spots since last year on the 2024 Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) last week, the country also lost its title as the leading country in Africa in terms of press freedom to Mauritania.RSF uses five indicators to determine a country's press freedom: political, economic, legislative, social and security.
Namibia performed worse on all indicators this year, with a noticeable decline in the social indicator.
Although RSF, in its summary of Namibia's ranking, states that Namibian journalists can work undisturbed, the organisation also notes that journalists in Namibia are often criticised for the negativity of their reporting, which, according to RSF, can lead to personal intimidation. Namibia dropped 35 places on the world ranking for the social well-being of journalists, from 18th in 2023 to 43rd in 2024.
"Journalists are generally free to work in Namibia with little interference in their work. Political parties, especially during elections, often complain that adequate media coverage to their advantage is lacking, but there are no barriers to coverage of social issues. Media outlets are nonetheless sometimes attacked by ministers, or even by the president, who accuse them of being too negative in their reporting, which can sometimes lead to personal intimidation," RSF stated.
Indicator declines
Meanwhile, on the other indicators, Namibia dropped 16 places on the world ranking in terms of the political indicator, 12 places in terms of security, eight places in terms of the economic well-being of the media and six places on the ranking for the legal framework supporting the media.
"The economic environment is more favourable to state-owned media, although employees at the state-owned NBC went on strike demanding higher salaries and permanent positions in 2022. Advertising revenue is often channelled to pro-government media, a policy that undermines independent reporting. The print media are facing increasing financial difficulties and many have switched to a digital format," reads RSF's summary of Namibia.
Global concerns
While political decline is currently not Namibia's biggest concern, RSF warns that it is a global focus.
The RSF also said it has observed a worrisome decline globally in support and respect for media autonomy and an increase in pressure from the state and other political actors.
The RSF has recorded an average decrease of 2.7 points worldwide concerning the political freedom of the media.
Mauritania has seen a commendable improvement in terms of press freedom and has climbed 53 places on the world ranking since last year, ending just above Namibia in 33rd place globally. They have improved in all indicators, with the smallest improvement in terms of economic conditions for the media, where they climbed 38 places on the world ranking. – [email protected]