Liberté des Médias, Transparence et Gouvernance

This research paper by Raymond Louw, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) in September 2008, argues that free and independent media are essential for good governance and democratic accountability. The author criticizes the African Union's (AU) African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) for omitting media freedom from its criteria for good governance, suggesting this exclusion is likely due to the prevalence of 'insult laws' across the continent. The paper examines case studies from Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa, concluding that none of these countries fully recognize the media's 'watchdog' role in their national reports. It also discusses the 'Table Mountain Declaration' and provides specific proposals to integrate media freedom into the APRM questionnaire.

• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) has omitted the requirement for free and independent media from its criteria for good governance, despite such requirements appearing in early versions of its self-assessment questionnaires.
• A primary reason for the AU's exclusion of media freedom from the APRM is the widespread existence of 'insult' and criminal defamation laws in approximately 48 out of 53 African countries, which criminalize critical reporting on government officials.
• Analysis of national reports from Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa reveals that none of these countries acknowledge the role of free and independent media as a fundamental factor for maintaining democratic good governance through a 'watchdog' function.
• In South Africa, despite constitutional protections for media freedom, the government has recommended limiting media freedom by requiring that sources of information in corruption reports be 'verifiable', which would restrict the use of unidentified sources.
• The Kenyan national report presents contradictions, acknowledging the media's role in identifying corruption while simultaneously recommending that regulatory bodies have legal powers to sanction 'irresponsible' media professionals.
• The Table Mountain Declaration, adopted by 1,600 delegates of the World Association of Newspapers in June 2007, calls for the abolition of 'insult' and criminal defamation laws across Africa and the inclusion of media freedom as a key requirement for the APRM's assessment of good governance.
• The author proposes specific revisions to the APRM questionnaire, including adding a requirement for countries to list laws that conflict with freedom of expression and requesting a commitment from AU member governments to completely eliminate 'insult' laws.

APA

Louw, R. (2008). Liberté des Médias, Transparence et Gouvernance. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/Occasional-Paper-11-FR.pdf

Chicago

Louw, Raymond. Liberté des Médias, Transparence et Gouvernance. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2008. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/Occasional-Paper-11-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Louw |first1=Raymond |title=Liberté des Médias, Transparence et Gouvernance |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=September 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/Occasional-Paper-11-FR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{louw2008libert, author = {Louw, Raymond}, title = {{Liberté des Médias, Transparence et Gouvernance}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/Occasional-Paper-11-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }