Whatever the shortcomings, the woes of the African journalist are inexcusable. Poor, heavily underpaid, hunted down by soldiers, political and rebel leaders, ignored by civil society when taken to the hangman's ropes, the typical African journalist lives from day to day, without any idea of what tomorrow holds. Overwhelmed by oppressive forces, the freedom to develop ideas is hampered. Repeated arrests and imprisonment, torture, dampen the mind, reducing it to a zombie object. It no longer knows how to function properly.
Fear is a deadly weapon against the mind.
The environment for creativity, for investigative and probing journalism, even for developing literature, is plagued with dangers. Critical thinking is disallowed, replaced by sheepish obedience, fear and mediocrity. Journalism in Africa is a dangerous, poor man's profession reserved mostly for idealistic crusaders expected to foster democracy but left in their sorrows by the larger society. If men are products of their society and surroundings, then the African journalist is no exception. A European journalist who returned from Liberia recently preached that politics must be removed from journalism.