Jean-Jacques Cornish

Ghana tops African barometer on World Media Day

On World Press Day, South Africa ranks third among Africa nations on the media freedom barometer.

Reporters Without Borders lists Ghana highest on the continent with Eritrea at the bottom of the 182 countries judged

Every year, Reporters Without Borders questions experts on the independence, pluralism, media environment, self-censorship, transparency and legislative framework of the media in their countries.

Its 2018 list is again topped by Norway.

Ghana, in 23rd place overall,  beats Namibia this year to the top African spot.

Eritrea has the poorest showing among African countries while North Korea is last on the international ranking.

On this day, set up a quarter of a century ago  to pay tribute to reporters who’ve died exercising their profession, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

calls on governments to strengthen press freedom, and to protect journalists. 

He says promoting a free media is standing up for our right to truth.

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Jean-Jacques Cornish is a journalist and broadcaster who has been involved in the media all his adult life.

Starting as a reporter on his hometown newspaper, he moved briefly to then Rhodesia before returning to South Africa to become a parliamentary correspondent with the South African Press Association. He was sent to London as Sapa’s London editor and also served as special correspondent to the United Nations. He joined the then Argus group in London as political correspondent.

Returning to South Africa after 12 years abroad, he was assistant editor on the Pretoria News for a decade before becoming editor of the Star and SA Times for five years.

Since 1999 he’s been an independent journalist writing and broadcasting – mainly about Africa – for Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape
Talk, Radio France International, PressTV, Radio Live New Zealand, Business Day, Mail & Guardian, the BBC, Agence France Press,
Business in Africa, Leadership, India Today, the South African Institute for International Affairs and the Institute for Security Studies.

He has hosted current affairs talk shows on Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk. He appears as an African affairs pundit on SABC Africa and CNBC Africa.
He lectured in contemporary studies to journalism students at the Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria.

He speaks on African affairs to corporate and other audiences.
He has been officially invited as a journalist to more than 30 countries. He was the winner of the 2007 SADC award for radio journalism.

He’s been a member of the EISA team observing elections in Somaliland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Tunsiai.

In October 2009 he headed a group of 39 African journalists to the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Peoples’ Republic of China.

In January 2010 he joined a rescue and paramedical team to earthquake struck Haiti.

He is immediate past president of the Alliance Francaise of Pretoria.

Jean-Jacques is a director of Giant Media. The company was given access to Nelson Mandela in his retirement years until 2009.
He is co-producer of the hour-long documentary Mandela at 90 that was broadcast on BBC in January 2009.