Most Africans say they support press freedom. A new survey of 45,600 people across 38 countries confirms it, with 72% backing the media's watchdog role and nearly two-thirds preferring an independent press over government regulation. Those are the numbers that will lead most coverage of this report. They are also the less interesting numbers. Buried in the same Afrobarometer data is a finding that reframes everything above it: citizens who live in countries with a press they perceive as free are measurably less likely to support media freedom than those living under censorship. Support for press freedom is highest among the people already denied it. As continental perceptions of media liberty continue to fall, the question worth asking is not whether Africans value a free press. It is why that value tends to arrive too late.