Joel Savage appeals to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for urgent intervention
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Posted By: Joel Savage on January 16, 2026 Joel Savage: Writer, journalist and author For twenty‑five years, I have lived and worked in Antwerp as an African journalist determined to give a voice to those whose stories are routinely erased. My name is Joel Savage, and in a country where crimes committed against Africans rarely make it into the mainstream press, my work has become both necessary and unwelcome. As the only writer consistently documenting these injustices, I have found myself targeted instead of supported: articles removed from my blog, readers blocked from accessing my work, and my visibility on Google deliberately suppressed. Yet the more they try to silence these stories, the more urgent it becomes to tell them. For years, I believed that the greatest threat to journalism was the hostility of those who feared the truth. Today, I have learned that the danger is far more sophisticated. It hides behind algorithms, corporate partnerships, and invisible hands that quietly erase stories the public has a right to read. As an African writer living in Belgium, I am compelled to bring to your attention a pattern of digital suppression that has targeted my work, particularly articles exposing crimes and injustices against Africans in Belgium. This is not a complaint about low readership or technical glitches. It is a documented pattern of interference that raises urgent questions about press freedom, discrimination, and the unchecked power of digital platforms operating in collaboration with state institutions. A Disturbing Pattern of Digital Erasure Over the past years, numerous articles I published, especially those addressing crimes against Africans in Belgium, were quietly redirected to 404 error pages. These were not accidental dead links. They were targeted removals that occurred after publication, affecting only specific stories that challenged official narratives or highlighted racial injustices. Such systematic disappearance of content cannot be dismissed as a coincidence. It reflects a deliberate attempt to prevent the public from accessing information that Belgian mainstream media often refuses to report. Interference Through the Blogger Platform Since my blog is hosted on Google’s Blogger platform, the company has direct access to its backend. I have witnessed unexplained alterations to my HTML code, resulting in pages loading slowly or malfunctioning, tactics that frustrate readers and discourage engagement. These disruptions occurred only after publishing sensitive articles, suggesting a form of digital sabotage designed to silence inconvenient truths. At one point, I discovered what appeared to be a monitoring script embedded in my blog’s HTML. After I publicly exposed it, the script disappeared. The timing speaks for itself. Artificial Suppression of Readership My blog once attracted thousands of daily readers. Suddenly, without any change in content quality or publishing frequency, the numbers dropped to barely a hundred per day. This dramatic decline coincided with the removal of key articles and the technical interference described above. When a platform controls both the visibility and accessibility of a journalist’s work, it holds the power to erase that journalist without ever issuing a formal ban. This is censorship by algorithm—silent, deniable, and devastating. Repeated Violations of Google’s Own Policies Google’s actions have repeatedly contradicted its own stated principles of neutrality, transparency, and respect for creators. I have documented multiple instances where the company violated its policies in ways that would be criminal if committed by an individual. In response, I wrote an article titled “I Would Have Gone to Prison If I Had Committed the Same Crimes Against Google.” The title reflects a simple truth: corporations operate above the law in ways ordinary citizens cannot. I also published an investigation into what I called the “underworld activities of Google”—a phrase describing the hidden mechanisms through which my articles about crimes against Africans were removed or buried. These actions were not isolated. They aligned with the interests of Belgian authorities, who have long been uncomfortable with independent reporting on racial discrimination and abuses. Why I Am Writing to You I am bringing these concerns to your organization because the suppression of African voices in Europe is not merely a personal issue; it is a systemic one. When a writer documenting racial injustice is silenced through digital manipulation, it undermines the very foundations of press freedom. It signals to African journalists that their stories are unwelcome, their voices disposable, and their safety unprotected. I am requesting an independent review of these incidents and broader attention to the vulnerability of minority journalists who rely on digital platforms that can be weaponized against them. A Call for Protection and Accountability I ask for your support in ensuring that: • Independent journalists—especially those from marginalized communities—are protected from digital censorship. • Tech companies are held accountable when their platforms are used to suppress journalism. • Governments do not collaborate with private corporations to silence reporting that exposes racial injustice. • The erasure of African narratives in Europe is recognized as a press‑freedom issue, not a technical inconvenience. The right to publish is meaningless without the right to be read. I refuse to accept a digital landscape where African stories disappear not because they lack truth, but because they lack protection. This article is intended for other reputable journalism and human rights organizations, as well as Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) • International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) • European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) • European Ombudsman (handles maladministration by EU institutions) • UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression • Amnesty International • Human Rights Watch • European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) (if rights violations are documented) If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Joel Savage
Freelancing, Antwerp Province Member Since September 2013 |
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