There was a time when journalists were guardians of truth. Today in Angola, many are just guardians of envelopes — the kind stuffed with cash. Integrity? That word left the newsroom a long time ago, probably escorted out by a politician with a fat wallet and a thin conscience. In Angola, journalism is no longer about informing the public — it’s about pleasing the powerful. Truth doesn’t sell, but flattery does. So they sell what sells.
Malundo Kudiqueba
They say “follow the money” — and our journalists have followed it straight into the arms of corrupt officials. Some don’t even pretend anymore. One day they’re exposing a scandal; the next, they’re sipping champagne at the same table as the accused. Coincidence? Only if you believe unicorns vote.
You can’t expect watchdogs to bark when they’re being fed by the same thieves they’re supposed to bite.
Let’s be honest: many of our journalists are no longer reporters — they’re repeaters. They repeat whatever script is handed to them, as long as the price is right. In Angola, press conferences are less about questions and more about transactions.
It’s not journalism; it’s a job description for a PR assistant in disguise.
We mock our politicians for lying, stealing, and deceiving — and rightly so. But the media, instead of exposing them, often joins the masquerade. At this rate, journalists and politicians should just form a union. Call it: The Syndicate of Spin and Sin.
You switch on the news hoping for facts. Instead, you get a bedtime story — written by the government and narrated by a journalist who traded their spine for a brown envelope.
They speak with big words but carry small truths.
Some will say this is unfair. “Not all journalists,” they’ll protest. Fair enough. But if the clean ones remain silent while the dirty ones thrive, they become part of the problem too. Silence is complicity — especially when your job is to speak out.
In Angola, the truth is dangerous. And journalism? It’s become a circus — with clowns in suits pretending to be serious.
Until journalists stop being couriers of propaganda and start being defenders of truth, we remain a country where lies get headlines, and honesty gets unemployment.
Amsterdam, 05.05.2025.
Malundo Kudiqueba.
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