It stands at the 10th place in Africa and the fifth in West Africa. As such The Gambia’s ranking is not that bad even if the country is still in the zone where press freedom is still problematic, according to RSF Subsaharan Africa Director Sadibou Marong.
“If we have seen last year, the editor-in-chief of The Voice Newspaper, Musa Sheriff summoned to appear before the High Court after a complaint was filed by President Adama Barrow over an article about him. The complaint was later withdrawn. In a landmark verdict, a Swiss court has sentenced former Jammeh’s Interior Minister to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity, including torture of two journalists. Draconian media laws passed under Yahya Jammeh remain in effect and still carry prison sentences for journalist. Authorities should remove them.”
“RSF has started to onboard media in Gambia on the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), process. We are calling on the media and authorities to take collective ownership of the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI). Already adopted by more than 2,000 media outlets in 119 countries, this initiative proposes a common benchmark, not for judging content, but for evaluating news production processes, with the aim of improving transparency on media ownership and editorial processes, as well as highlighting reliable media. This certification provides a basis for directing public funding, guiding referencing policies and enabling platforms and search engines to promote trustworthy information, while protecting against disinformation strategies.”
