How can citizens push back when corruption is deeply entrenched?
In South Africa, the Organization Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) turned an unpopular e-toll system into a catalyst for citizen resistance.
Through civil disobedience, strategic litigation, and crowdfunding, OUTA united business leaders, unions, activists, and ordinary drivers in a campaign that left $1.65 billion in tolls unpaid—and forced the government to suspend the scheme in 2023.
Over time, OUTA evolved from opposing road tolls into one of the country’s most formidable anti-corruption watchdogs, taking on powerful corporations, exposing graft, and holding politicians accountable in court.
đź“– Read the full Democracy Playbook article by Ray Mwareya with illustrations by Eusebio Linares: How challenging road tolls led to resisting state capture in South Africa.
#corruption #outa #SouthAfrica #DemocracyPlaybook #UnbiasTheNews
💰✍🏾 When journalism feels like mining. Namibian journalist Namupa Shivute draws a sharp parallel between the centuries-long extraction of Africa’s resources and a quieter, modern form of exploitation: Western media swooping in for stories, contacts, and cultural knowledge — while leaving African reporters underpaid, uncredited, and sidelined.
From “stringer” gigs that drain time, money, and emotional labor, to broken promises from supposedly “decolonial” outlets, Shivute exposes how racial capitalism shapes whose voices are amplified and whose are mined for parts.
This is not just about one journalist’s experience. It’s about a global media economy that still profits from Africa while denying it full authorship of its own narratives.
Read the full piece 👉 https://unbiasthenews.org/journalism-as-extractive-industry-africa/
#MediaEquity #DecolonizeJournalism #Africa #StoryMining #MediaJustice
When truth-telling can land you in prison, Egyptian dissidents go online. Exile, activists, journalists & artists now using YouTube and social media to defy Al-Sisi’s censorship—and they`re reaching millions. Their videos expose corruption, challenge propaganda, and keep the spirit of the 2011 revolution alive.
Read our article: YouTube Warriors: Egypt’s Political Exiles Defy the Regime Online
✍️ Written by Mostafa Amin
Illustration by Yorgos Konstantinou
#egypt #media #pressfreedom
What happens when your president promises freedom, but brands himself "the world`s coolest dictator"? El Salvador’s mass incarceration plan under Bukele is being praised, exported, and copied. But at what cost?
▪️ Over 85,000 detained—many without charges or trial
▪️ CECOT, a mega-prison, houses thousands under extreme conditions
▪️ The U.S. State Dept. found evidence of torture, starvation, and deaths
▪️ Some U.S. politicians now want to import this model
Our journalist and columnist Lya Cueller @littlelya_ explores how El Salvador’s regime blends authoritarian control with digital hype. From Bitcoin to mass surveillance, creating what she calls a crypto-carceral state.
Why are far-right and tech elites—from Trump to Thiel—so drawn to it? Is El Salvador exporting safety or selling a blueprint for tech-powered authoritarianism? Check out our latest opinion piece for the Democracy Playbook.
Opinion: El Salvador is the far-right’s dream crypto-carceral state – and it’s failing
Written by Lya Cuéllar
Illustration by Yorgos Konstantinou
Video: Gabriela Ramirez
#bukele #trump #pandillas #elsalvador #derechoshumanos #humanrights #democracyplaybook
🗳️ The media has done well in exposing the authoritarian playbook — the tactics used to silence dissent, capture institutions, and suppress minorities.
But what about the resistance?
📢Our Democracy Playbook shifts the focus: We report on the movements fighting back for free speech, climate justice, and independent courts.
Too often, these efforts are framed as disruptions. We asked: What if they were recognized as part of a global resistance to authoritarianism?
🌍 Journalists worldwide answered. Their stories have already started to be published, and many more will come throughout 2025. Visit unbiasthenews.org/democracy-playbook/
#DemocracyPlaybook #PressFreedom #UnbiasTheNews #Democracy #SocialMovements #Authoritarianism
🎥 What does objectivity in journalism really mean? What is bias in the media, and how is it perpetuated? What is the role of the media as AI now enters the global media conversation? These are some of the questions we tackled during our Display City Sessions in Berlin.
We wanted to bring this conversation back with this presentation of our Co-Managing Director Mercy Abang, who challenges the myth of neutrality and dives into the importance of whose voices we center in our reporting.
#media #objectivity #unbiasthenews #power #bias
When truth-telling can land you in prison, Egyptian dissidents go online. Exile, activists, journalists & artists now using YouTube and social media to defy Al-Sisi’s censorship—and they`re reaching millions. Their videos expose corruption, challenge propaganda, and keep the spirit of the 2011 revolution alive.
On #WorldPressFreedomDay, we remember and learn from those who must flee their country to speak the truth, those who often publish their work under pseudonyms or through ghostwriters to avoid repression, those who continue exposing the truth under great risks and threats to their lives.
đź“– Read the full story. Link in bio.
✍️ Written by Mostafa Amin
Illustration by Yorgos Konstantinou
#Egypt #PressFreedom #YouTubeResistance #Exile #DemocracyPlaybook #Activism #Freedom #UnbiasTheNews
🌊 As Trump pushes to open the sea floor for mining in violation of international law, it’s more urgent than ever to understand the real stakes.
At Unbias The News, we investigated the deep-sea mining race before it hit the headlines. Our investigation uncovers who is pushing for deep-sea mining, who stands to gain, who stands to lose, and why the risks could outweigh the rewards.
Read the full context here in our story: Deep Sea Dilemma: To Mine or not to Mine by Tina Lee and Gabriela RamĂrez Ramirez. Link in bio.
Should we mine the deep ocean?
#deepseamining #trump #journalism #climatechange #environment #oceans #minerals #EV
