Abuse of power & retaliationOversight & ethics enforcement

Guinea's media regulator banned France 24 and pulled a Jeune Afrique correspondent's accreditation days after a presenter called the president a 'putschist', despite an on-air correction

Confidence: Confirmed · 1 sourceGuinea · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

High Authority of Communication (HAC)

Also named

Affected

France 24

Diawo Barry, Guinea correspondent, Jeune Afrique

Advocate

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

What happened

After a France 24 presenter called President Mamadi Doumbouya a 'putschist president' on September 14, 2026, Guinea's High Authority of Communication (HAC) ordered France 24 on September 16 to stop using the term and revoked the accreditation of Jeune Afrique correspondent Diawo Barry, saying his coverage did not meet standards of 'objective, neutral, balanced reporting'. On September 17 it banned France 24 and withdrew accreditation of its correspondents in Guinea, saying the broadcaster had not complied with its order to stop using terms it deemed derogatory to the head of state. France 24 had corrected the video and told AFP it had apologized on air. The HAC did not respond to CPJ's request for comment. CPJ called for the bans to be reversed and noted an earlier January 2025 ban on the news site Depeche Guinee.

Sources (1)

Committee to Protect JournalistsGuinea bans France 24, withdraws Jeune Afrique correspondent Diawo Barry's accreditation, days after a presenter used the word 'putschist' to describe President Doumbouya, despite France 24's on-air correction and apology.

Response

High Authority of Communication (HAC)

On-record admission

Contacted and made an on-record admission — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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