Every year on 3 May the world marks Press Freedom Day. The purpose is to take stock of how the media are faring and what obstacles are being put in the way of journalists doing their jobs. The release of the World Press Freedom Index offers a useful benchmark to review developments and trends.

One area of particular focus in 2020 was digital media, which came in for particularly harsh treatment from governments. There were more than 150 full or partial shutdowns of the internet or social media like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp during the year across the world. South Asia accounted for almost three quarters of them. Africa was the next most affected region with 20 shutdowns affecting 12 countries. Jeffrey Conroy-Krutz argues that increased shutdowns will generate higher economic costs, as well as greater public outrage.

There are few women at the helm of political leadership in Nigeria. There are only seven women senators out of 109 senators and 22 in the 360-member House of Representatives. While the number of women serving in elected and appointed political positions has been rising the world over, this is not the case for Nigerian women. Damilola Agbalajobi unpacks the main economic, social and cultural barriers for Nigerian women seeking a role in leadership. When women are not participating in politics, it’s less likely that policies will benefit them.