In 2025, the Wits Centre for Journalism conducted a baseline survey into the safety of local and community journalists in Southern and East Africa. Led by WCJ lecturer Dr Nechama Brodie with support from the Consortium on Human Rights and Media (CHARM) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the project sought to highlight the risk, threat and harm journalists face in these regions, as well as inform future research on journalist safety on the continent.
The survey received responses from 109 journalists from 17 different African countries, and found that:
• More than 80% of journalists have worked on a story that made them feel unsafe or where they had been threatened.
• Around 60% of journalists have received threats or hostile comments on social media.
• Only 40% of journalists receive workplace support when they are threatened or harassed.
A new survey for Western and Central Africa will be launched in 2026, with follow-up surveys planned for 2027.