Mass media in Africa

The media in Africa is expanding rapidly due to advances in telecommunications, especially mobile phones and the internet. In newspaper reporting, many Africans have won international media awards. In writing both prose and poetry, many awards have also been won by Africans, and Africa now claims a Nobel Laureate in Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka of Nigeria.

History

In 1794 the first printing press arrived in Africa delivered to Freetown, Sierra Leone, but was destroyed by a French raiding party before it was ever used. When another press arrived in 1800 the newspaper the Sierra Leone Advertiser began being printed.

Historically, Nigeria has boasted one of the most free and resilient newspaper presses of any African country, even under its past military dictatorships, most of whom have shown an intolerance of the press. In the rest of the continent, vibrant journalism is also getting to be the order of the day. As in more developed countries, many journalists, in a bid to uphold the integrity of the profession, have preferred to go to jail rather than betray the confidentiality of a source.
In 2005, journalists representing 23 African nations met in Cameroon and established the Society for the Development of Media in Africa.