By Edward Acquah
Accra, Feb. 24, GNA – Professor Kwame Karikari, Founder of the Media Foundation for West Africa, has urged African editors to defend the continent’s independence, democracy and peace amid growing global tensions.
He made the call while addressing the Africa Editors Congress in Nairobi, Kenya, where editors and newsroom leaders gathered to discuss journalism, media sustainability and press freedom.
“The African Editor is called upon to be a partisan crusader for Africa’s independence and sovereignty without apologies,” he said.
Prof. Karikari said Africa faced serious external and internal threats and editors must rise to their historic responsibility.
He warned that the weakening of multilateral institutions was giving way to power politics and competition for resources, leaving Africa vulnerable because of its natural wealth and limited collective strength.
“Our continent has become, once again, the hunting ground for predators,” he stated, urging editors to monitor global developments and explain their impact on ordinary Africans.
Prof. Karikari said editors must be active advocates for the public interest, noting their role as gatekeepers and agenda-setters.
He cited conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and violent extremism in the Sahel as major threats, alongside democratic decline marked by coups and tampering with presidential term limits.
“In recent times… a spate of coups d’état represent the extreme of the reversal of democratic prospects,” he said.
On professional changes, Prof Karikari said that digital technologies had transformed the media landscape, reducing editors’ control over information flows as social media platforms and algorithms shaped public discourse.
He said misinformation and disinformation were rising, damaging trust in journalism.
“Factchecking… is now necessarily elevated to a super-skill,” he said, urging investment in verification units and stronger newsroom ethics.
Prof. Karikari expressed concern about the decline of investigative journalism amid corruption and abuse of power, attributing the decline to economic challenges, intimidation and killings of journalists.
He encouraged collaboration among African media houses through joint investigations, content sharing and cross-border editorials.
The Africa Editors Congress is expected to adopt recommendations to strengthen editorial independence, regional cooperation and the sustainability of media organisations across the continent.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey