UNDER DURESS

The report details the multifaceted pressures on African journalists, including the weaponization of national security and defamation laws, economic precarity, and gendered online harassment. It highlights the internal tensions between field reporters and editors, the prevalence of PTSD and moral injury, and the necessity of communal support and digital security for survival in hostile environments.

• Governments in authoritarian contexts employ a variety of legal tactics to intimidate journalists, including the weaponization of national security, counter-terrorism, and defamation laws. This includes the use of strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPP) actions, which aim to exhaust the financial and psychological resources of newsrooms rather than necessarily winning a case.
• Economic precarity serves as both a structural vulnerability and a tool for state coercion. Low salaries make journalists susceptible to 'brown envelope' practices or conflicts of interest, while states may explicitly threaten to withdraw advertising revenue from newsrooms to force the spiking of stories. Additionally, reliance on Western donor funding can lead to journalists being delegitimized as foreign agents.
• Digital platforms create distinct gendered risks; while male journalists are primarily attacked for their published content, women face harassment based on patriarchal norms, including being denigrated as prostitutes or accused of deserving sexual violence. However, some women use these same platforms to build solidarity networks and live-stream high-risk encounters to increase their safety.
• There is a significant tension between field reporters and editors, particularly when editors are based internationally. Reporters often feel that international editors lack contextual knowledge, insist on stereotypical framings of Africa, or fail to provide adequate safety guidance. Conversely, editors argue they must act as a buffer and scrutinize stories more intensely to protect the organization from ruinous defamation suits.
• Journalists reporting under duress experience severe psychological distress, including symptoms of PTSD and 'moral injury' resulting from witnessing egregious injustices. Women face a double burden, as newsrooms can be sources of harm due to patriarchal norms and sexual harassment, preventing the workplace from being a safe refuge.
• Coping strategies emphasize the shift from individual to communal security. Effective tactics include the use of encrypted communication, VPNs, and pan-African partnerships to break stories outside of oppressive states. Participants noted that in some countries, the state actively suppresses the development of investigative skills by banning the teaching of investigative journalism or requiring security agents to attend training sessions.

APA

Stupart, D. R., Ferreira, D. R. R., & Vania, T. (n.d.). UNDER DURESS. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SAIIA_UNDER-DURESS-JOURNALISM_2026.pdf

Chicago

Stupart, Dr Richard, Dr Ricardo Ribeiro Ferreira, and Tasneem Vania. UNDER DURESS. South African Institute of International Affairs, n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SAIIA_UNDER-DURESS-JOURNALISM_2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stupart |first1=Dr Richard |last2=Ferreira |first2=Dr Ricardo Ribeiro |last3=Vania |first3=Tasneem |title=UNDER DURESS |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SAIIA_UNDER-DURESS-JOURNALISM_2026.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stupartndunder, author = {Stupart, Dr Richard and Ferreira, Dr Ricardo Ribeiro and Vania, Tasneem}, title = {{UNDER DURESS}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SAIIA_UNDER-DURESS-JOURNALISM_2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }