Guinea
Over the last two years the Western African Republic of Guinea has been on a complex path toward media pluralism, as reflected in its rankings on the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI). The country was reaching the 84 and 85 out of 180 in 2022 and 2023, respectively, placing the state within a relatively satisfactory range.
The WPFI, compiled by the non-governmental organization (NGO) of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), collects and disperses information regarding press freedom and media pluralism across countries. There are a total of 180 countries and regions included in the evaluations. Thus, any individual score reflects the state’s position in relation to others: the higher the ranking, the greater the freedom of speech and journalistic expression within media outlets in the corresponding state. This index is significant as it raises awareness, holds governments accountable, and, in turn, safeguards press freedom across the globe.
Guinea’s journey to media pluralism is tightly related to the country’s historical background. Not only that they were a French colony from 1882 to 1958, but the post-independence period that followed was challenging and strewn with vicissitudes.
The first president to rule the country from 1958 to 1984, Sèkou Tourè, established a socialist regime in the state. This era was marked by one-party rule and media censorship as the state-owned media tightly controlled it. Succeeding Tourè, Lansana Contè came to power for twenty-four years, aiming for political and economic reforms. However, as RSF pointed out, during Contè’s rule, the country reached its second-highest peak, namely the 109 index position.
The end of the authoritarian rule was marked by the country’s first democratic election since its independence from France. However, the presidency of Alpha Condè initialized in 2010 was not enough to maintain and promote avenues for free expression and media pluralistic landscape as proposed by Prio Blogs.
From 2021 until now, the state has been under the interim governance of the military commander, Col. Mamady Doumbouyah, following the coup d’etat against Guinea’s previous president — Alpha Conde, and his attempt to win over the country for a third consecutive term.
Even though Guinea is reaching one of its best rankings, RSF highlighted that the political unrest resulting from the junta’s governance makes critical or outspoken news reporting, especially when it involves government or security forces members, challenging for journalists.
On May 10, 2022, Mohamed M’bemba Conde — a reporter for the Guinee Matin online newspaper, had been hospitalized in Guinea after being beaten up by soldiers. Reporters Without Borders immediately called for an immediate investigation into the case while the organization’s director, Sadibou Marong, claimed that “…this violent attack is very worrying for journalism in Guinea.”
NetBlocks confirmed the restriction of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Real-time network data showed restrictions placed upon leading mobile providers in the Republic of Guinea, namely Orange and MTN. “The study is taken from a sample size of 869 measurements from 18 vantage points across Guinea.” as proposed by Netblocks.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, private news websites were restricted in Guinea for over a month. Both the Guinee Matin and Inquisiteur were inaccessible from August 15 to September 1, as claimed by the Matin’s director, Nouhou Balde, and Inquisiteur’s head, Mamadou Babila Keita.
The latest update from October 16 made by RSF suggested that the police arrested ten journalists as they were carrying peaceful demonstrations defending freedom of expression in Guinea following the media news website blockage. “They wanted to disperse us, they used teargas, they roughed up journalists, and they smashed equipment before taking us away,” said Sékou Jamal Pendessa, the event organizer.
According to Reporters Without Borders, not only that some of the attendees were arrested, but there were several who were roughed up and beaten by the police officers. As confirmed by Reporters Without Borders, Mariama Bhoeye Barry, a reporter for Cavi TV and a privately-owned TV news channel, claimed to have an injury to her elbow due to teargas grenades being fired up.
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Kalina Marinova is double-majoring in Journalism and Psychology at the American University in Bulgaria. She is deeply committed and passionate about fighting for the thriving of journalism that advocates for truth, integrity, and dispersion of accurate and unbiased information.
