Abstract

A free media is crucial for a functioning democracy, but if not truly free, paves the way for manipulation of views, thus cannot to bring democratic changes. Rwandan media played important role before and during the extermination and after this tragedy. Political elites used the Rwandan media like a weapon of words – they demonized Tutsi ethnic population group and aligned with the government spreads hate. Also after the slaughter opposite media were being brutally suppressed, journalists were killed and because of that some of newspapers stopped publication. This article presents the role of the Rwandan media over the period 1990–2016.