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No sound, no picture on Zik FM and Sen TV, in Senegal… The radio and TV channels of the private group D-Media were suspended Thursday evening for 72 hours. The National Audiovisual Regulatory Council (CNRA) had put them on notice to put an end to the press reviews of Ahmed Aïdara, elected mayor of the city of Guédiawaye, at the end of January.
The regulatory body denounced ” breaches of the principles of objectivity, neutrality, fairness and balance » in the interventions of the journalist, now political leader of the opposition. A decision rejected by the interested party and ” illegal “, according to the boss, the press group, also a political figure, Bougane Guèye Dany, who indicated that the staff was on technical unemployment.
The law must apply to all media
The Syndicate of Professionals and Information and Communication of Senegal (Synpics) reacted Friday evening. Its secretary general, Bamba Kassé, believes that the law must be respected by the group but also that it must apply to all the media.
« This is the final step which is always frowned upon but we believe that this time the CNRA has respected the law. What is happening is that there is a political actor in Senegal, an elected official, who continues to animate a press review which is not professional because it is very tendentious. The simple fact that this political actor belongs to a political camp means that he can no longer boast of a certain objectivity. »
“An equidistant policeman”
On the fact that other political figures are part of other media, in particular public media, and that they are not worried, Bamba Kassé specifies: “ To this question it is the CNRA which should answer but we will allow ourselves all the same, as a journalist. This is not something acceptable. The principle is that we do not appoint political supporters at the head of state media, in particular. We believe that yes, for everyone’s editorial freedom, yes for pluralism, but we still need a policeman who is equidistant from everyone and who ensures that the mission of the public information service is also respected by both public and private entities. »
