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AFRICOM, the company that prints newspapers, informed that there will be no printing from Monday evening to Tuesday morning, as the Press Employers Organization has declared Tuesday, August 13, 2024, as a no-printing day.
The head of Africa Command, Mamadou Ibra Kane, announced that for two years his company has been in trouble due to losses in the financial year, huge debts to suppliers, delayed salary payments, and the cessation of social security and health insurance payments.
Meanwhile, Senegal’s media industry has long faced economic difficulties, with many journalists complaining about poor working conditions.
But many journalists in the West African country see the comments of new Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko as a threat to their profession.
In a joint editorial published on Monday, CDEPS warned that this would be “one of the darkest chapters in history” of the profession and said press freedom in Senegal was “under threat”.
The group, made up of editors from private and public companies, complained that authorities were “freezing the bank accounts” of media companies for not paying taxes.
It also condemned the “seizure of production equipment”, “unilateral and illegal termination of advertising contracts” and “freezing of payments to media outlets”.
Sonko, who took office in early April, condemned the alleged “misappropriation of public funds” in the media industry and accused some media chiefs of failing to pay social security contributions.
In late June, the prime minister also harshly criticized news organizations, saying they were writing stories without reliable sources in the name of press freedom. Many media figures viewed these comments as a threat.
“The aim is nothing less than to control information and tame media professionals,” CDEPS said.
Late last month, the publishers of two of the most widely read sports dailies ceased publication due to financial difficulties, halting publication for more than two decades.
From 2021 to 2024, Senegal slipped from 49th to 94th place in the World Press Freedom Index of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
The human rights group recently urged Senegal’s new president to take action to promote press freedom following arrests and violence against journalists during Macky Sall’s three years in office.
Barron’s News Department had no role in the creation of this content.
Image source © AFP
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