New commission to oversee all media activities
04.09.2009
President James Michel has announced that the government is to set up an independent regulatory body to oversee, promote and protect media activities in Seychelles.
The Seychelles Media Commission (SMC) aims to ensure the country’s media are accountable to the public and respect the rights of citizens.
The new body was mentioned as part of the President’s announcement earlier this week of changes in senior government posts, and yesterday he gave a full explanation of its expected role.
“As we build on the gains of our economic reforms, we need to ensure that our various media organisations are able to meet the expectations of our population and enhance the access to credible information by our citizens,” he said.
“We need professional media that are accountable and respect the right of citizens to reply, and their right to privacy. We need to recognise the weight of moral responsibility that journalists bear when they print or broadcast information in the interest of the public.”
Mr Michel said the SMC will act as an arbiter in conflicts between newspapers, TV and radio and citizens who have valid complaints against them, without the need for expensive and lengthy court proceedings.
It will take into account the views of all media outlets and endeavour to ensure that the public interest is served in the media as a whole.
Mr Michel has mandated the outgoing managing director of the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation, Ibrahim Afif, to do the preparatory work for setting up the commission.
There will be extensive consultation with the media, civil society, the National Assembly, the judiciary and the government, and also a review of the current legislation governing the press and broadcasting in Seychelles.
“We need a comprehensive legal framework to guarantee dynamic print and broadcasting media in Seychelles,” said the President.
“This would enable the exercise of the freedom of the press within the context of responsible journalism practices where greater attention is given to accuracy and the right to reply in the media. We need to encourage ethical journalism.”
The proposed media commission will work to protect the rights of consumers, as well as the rights of journalists, to freedom of expression (Article 22 of the Constitution) and their right to access to information (Article 28 of the Constitution).
While in some countries the press and broadcasting media are regulated by separate authorities, the SMC will combine regulation of both printed and broadcast media because of the smaller scale of the operations here.
The composition of the commission is intended to be modelled on the Constitutional Appointments Authority and will have members who are respected for their journalism practice and in-depth knowledge of the profession, as well as the legislation that is applicable to media work.