The reports shows that African governments' programmes to respond to the economic impact of the pandemic have had a "negative" impact on the media sector and lacked proper support of media workers.
UJT of Chad described "a government contingency plan including support for economic operators, social assistance to vulnerable groups but nothing on the press sector" and SYNPICCS of Ivory Coast "The government has so far done nothing for the media sector, apart from a few masks and other hygiene equipment".
South Sudan was the only country where journalists' union UJOSS maintained that the government "did not follow the WHO COVID-19 rules and orders" and that its only advice to citizens was to take care of themselves without proper quarantine measures, resulting in poor awareness of the pandemic.
In Chad, the UJT reports that "the entire private press, which accounts for more than 90% of the media space, is taking the brunt of the crisis... Many newspapers no longer appear or appear abruptly when an opportunity to go to print is offered to them; others even change their format from tabloid to A4" .
Note to the press:
Journalists unions who replied to FAJ survey are: SJA - Angola; FESYTRAC - Congo Brazzaville; UJT - Chad; SPAD - Djibouti; GPU - Gambia; GJA - Ghana; SINJOTECS - Guinea Bissau; AJG - Guinea Conakry; SYNAPCCI - Ivory Coast; KUJ - Kenya; PUL - Liberia; UNIJOM - Mali; SNPM - Morocco; SNJ-Mozambique; SYNPICS-Senegal; NUSOJ-Somalia; SUJ-Sudan; UJOSS -South Sudan; UJIT - Togo; UJU-Uganda.
