Elections and the Media in Post-Conflict Africa

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Since the start of this century, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Chad, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo and Rwanda have all held pluralist elections in the aftermath of armed conflict. Organized with the support of the international community, the polls were viewed as a crucial step in peace-building. During the campaigning season and on voting day, the local media were supposed to play a critical role in ensuring that the elections were actually ‘free and fair’. Giving a voice to African journalists and analysing their work during these elections, African media specialist Marie-Soleil Frère explores whether the local media fulfilled their duty. In doing so, she reveals the challenges facing journalists at a time of intense political pressure and when much is expected from the media. Insightful and comprehensive, Elections and the Media in Post-Conflict Africa underlines both the importance and the fragility of the role of the media in a democratic system. Elections_and_the_Media