At the Heart of Vulnerability: When Lack Of Oversight and Political Pressure Redefine Press Freedom in Burundi

Abstract

In a post-conflict setting in 2015 marked by a fragile economy and political tensions, the Burundian media have not been spared from this crisis. The aim of this article is to examine the conflictual relationship between economic dependence and editorial independence and its influence on the quality of information produced in the Burundian media. This research is based on a quantitative study of 77 local journalists using stepwise binomial logistic regression, which identified the factors determining the production of quality information. The results of the bivariate analysis show that four variables were significantly associated with the quality of information, including verification of sources, time and resources allocated to in-depth analysis, and, significantly, political and economic pressures. In terms of explanatory analysis, verification of sources, time and resources for in-depth analysis, and more specifically political pressure, were the determining factors in the quality of information. Logistic regression analysis reveals that the quality of information in Burundi is determined by source verification, the time allocated to analysis and, significantly, political and economic pressures, relegating socio-demographic factors to a secondary role.