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Access to info enhanced by AI and e-governance

Image: Unesco On 28 September the world marked the International Day for the Universal Access to Information (IDUAI). This event, established in November 2015 through UN resolution (38 C/70) and first commemorated in 2016, aims to facilitate international discussions on policy and guidelines in this important area.  Access to information plays an important role in Read more >

Civil society’s fight for transparency is vital for democracy

Democracy: a system of government in which the people of a country can vote to elect their representatives;fair and equal treatment of everyone in an organisation, etc., and their right to take part in making decisions. Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries Democracy, by its very definition, can only work if all people are able to participate in Read more >

Pressure on independent media reflects investigative journalism’s impact

First published on OCCRP In this article, written for the 2021 World Press Freedom Day, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project lauds all those investigative journalists across the world who have “given corrupt governments something to fear”. The increasing levels of harassment, intimidation, incarceration and censorship these journalists face is a sure sign that Read more >

Media freedom in Southern Africa – part two

Part two of our series on media freedom in the Southern African region looks at positive developments around this issue. Some countries – including South Africa – are working on abolishing the criminal defamation law, and meanwhile the African Court has ruled that jail terms for journalists found guilty of the offence, are a violation Read more >

ConCourt rules for DA in Nkandla SMS saga

The Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of the DA in the matter of a contentious SMS – in which it said that President Jacob Zuma stole taxpayers’ money to refurbish his Nkandla home – sent to Gauteng voters just before national elections in May last year. The SMS reads: “The Nkandla report shows how Read more >

Press freedom crucial to fighting corruption

Media freedom in South Africa is increasingly threatened and an urgent intervention is needed to deal with the declining independence of the press. This was the general feeling shared by delegates at the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) media freedom symposium, held last Thursday, 14 August, in Johannesburg. The prevalence of corruption is linked to Read more >