Today marks the 25 year anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration on 3 May 1991, a historic call for press freedom made by journalists across the African continent. It was an influential document, aimed at promoting an independent and pluralistic African Press. It was spurred on by increasing violence and partisan pressure being exerted against journalists and other media professionals working in Africa two decades ago, and emphasised the need for a free press to sustain democracy and as a fundamental human right. It even inspired similar media freedom statements around the world, said the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). Today, media professionals from across the continent give their views on the current state of media freedoms in a significant project undertaken by MISA to commemorate this day, whereby leading media professionals and commentators have written about the current state of media in Africa. All content provided by the #WHK25 project was made freely available to all media for publication to mark the occasion under Creative Commons license. From articles on new media models to how media freedom stacks up in Africa, to current challenges, resources and successes, the series is powerful commentary on media in Africa in 2016. Enjoy the selection we have published today to honour the ongoing struggle for media freedom across the continent and read more at MISA.org.
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