Although Africa has its share of atrocious record on press freedom with countries including Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, and Equatorial Guinea ranking bottom on Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF in its French initials) 2014 World Press Freedom Index, the continent is, in fact, not the worst in the world to be a journalist. Sub-Saharan Africa ranks better than Asia, the former Soviet bloc and the Middle East, according to both RSF and Freedom House, though the two differ in the way they score some individual countries. The bright spots include Cape Verde, Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe, Mauritius, and Namibia, according to the two organizations.

Even in some African countries with the worst press freedom records, brave journalists continue to write, blog, and broadcast every day. The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), as part of its observation of World Press Freedom Day, highlights the work of some of these brave men and women.

Championing Press Freedom: African Journalists Push Back Against Repression