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The man reporting on Africa鈥檚 most secretive state

A Facebook page aims to cover one of the world鈥檚 most repressive countries: Eritrea

There is no independent media in Eritrea, a country that ranks near the very bottom of press freedom indexes. But one man is trying to change his country鈥檚 repressive system. 鈥淛鈥 is the editor of Eritrean Press, a Facebook page which is a mix of political reporting, satire, sport, and light features.
It鈥檚 an almost unique development aimed at Eritrean readers both inside the country 鈥 where only around 1% of the population is able to access the internet 鈥 and the wider diaspora around the world.

In his first-ever interview, the editor of Eritrean Press talks about what it鈥檚 like to run a news outlet from outside the country, and how a peace agreement caused his page鈥檚 stance to shift - from broad support of government foreign policy to a sharply critical line on President Isaias Afwerki鈥檚 regime.

Reporters: Reha Kansara and Mike Wendling
Producers: Reha Kansara and Ed Main

(Photo Caption: The Eritrean Press logo with a silhouette of man talking into a microphone / Photo Credit: 成人快手/Eritrean Press)

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23 minutes

Last on

Sat 16 Feb 2019 11:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 15 Feb 2019 21:06GMT
  • Fri 15 Feb 2019 23:06GMT
  • Sat 16 Feb 2019 05:32GMT
  • Sat 16 Feb 2019 11:32GMT

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