Fight for control of media in Ivory Coast
December 20th, 2010
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it’s extremely concerned about the consequences for journalists of the fight for control of the Ivory Coast’s state television and the media in general being waged by the supporters of Laurent Gbagbo and the ones of Alassane Ouattara. The press freedom organisation said: “We deplore the fact that the authorities are treating journalists as undesired witnesses and are trying to prevent them from covering what is going on. We also deplore the fact that they are reducing the news coverage available to Ivorians by banning the opposition media after already suspending international broadcast media.”
Many incidents involving the media took place during last Thursday’s march by Ouattara supporters on the Abidjan headquarters of the state-owned broadcaster Radio-Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI) in an attempt to install new managers appointed by Guillaume Soro, the prime minister of the government formed by Mr Ouattara.
Security forces loyal to Gbagbo threatened French TV crews covering the march. Members of the Security Operations Command Centre (CECOS) turned their Kalashnikovs on a France 2 crew, who were forced to lie on the ground while their equipment was taken. Live rounds were used to disperse a France 3 crew, who sustained no injuries or damage.
Alassane Kanaté, a freelance cameraman working for the French 24-hour satellite news channel France 24 was arrested at a military roadblock and taken to police headquarters in the Abidjan district of Plateau, where he was held overnight and mistreated. He later received treatment in an Abidjan hospital. At least three journalists were arrested during the march.
During a visit to RTI on 14 December, Mr Gbagbo’s new communication minister, Ouattara Gnonzié, issued a warning to media that are not supporting his government. “I am going to meet with the privately-owned media,” he said. “They may be privately-owned, but they have a duty to respect our country’s laws and constitution. Reporting alarming and false information, which depresses and discourages the public, is against the law. This must stop as soon as possible.”
Mr Outtara’s FM radio station is still on the air, but its impact is limited. “We only transmit here in Abidjan, and Gbagbo’s people are constantly blocking our signal,” said Amadou Coulibaly, a senior adviser to Ouattara. “We are forced to keep shifting our frequency, but it’s a start,” he said. Mr Ouattara has plans to broadcast in other parts of the country and eventually to launch ADO television, named after his initials.
UN radio, one of the few independent voices left, was forced to shift its frequency when state radio usurped its broadcast. “We’ve received threats from the government on TV and from people in the street,” said a senior editor at the station, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “They accuse us of spreading lies for Ouattara and several journalists have been forced to start living at the office for fear of going home.”
December 20th, 2010
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it’s extremely concerned about the consequences for journalists of the fight for control of the Ivory Coast’s state television and the media in general being waged by the supporters of Laurent Gbagbo and the ones of Alassane Ouattara. The press freedom organisation said: “We deplore the fact that the authorities are treating journalists as undesired witnesses and are trying to prevent them from covering what is going on. We also deplore the fact that they are reducing the news coverage available to Ivorians by banning the opposition media after already suspending international broadcast media.”
Many incidents involving the media took place during last Thursday’s march by Ouattara supporters on the Abidjan headquarters of the state-owned broadcaster Radio-Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI) in an attempt to install new managers appointed by Guillaume Soro, the prime minister of the government formed by Mr Ouattara.
Security forces loyal to Gbagbo threatened French TV crews covering the march. Members of the Security Operations Command Centre (CECOS) turned their Kalashnikovs on a France 2 crew, who were forced to lie on the ground while their equipment was taken. Live rounds were used to disperse a France 3 crew, who sustained no injuries or damage.
Alassane Kanaté, a freelance cameraman working for the French 24-hour satellite news channel France 24 was arrested at a military roadblock and taken to police headquarters in the Abidjan district of Plateau, where he was held overnight and mistreated. He later received treatment in an Abidjan hospital. At least three journalists were arrested during the march.
During a visit to RTI on 14 December, Mr Gbagbo’s new communication minister, Ouattara Gnonzié, issued a warning to media that are not supporting his government. “I am going to meet with the privately-owned media,” he said. “They may be privately-owned, but they have a duty to respect our country’s laws and constitution. Reporting alarming and false information, which depresses and discourages the public, is against the law. This must stop as soon as possible.”
Mr Outtara’s FM radio station is still on the air, but its impact is limited. “We only transmit here in Abidjan, and Gbagbo’s people are constantly blocking our signal,” said Amadou Coulibaly, a senior adviser to Ouattara. “We are forced to keep shifting our frequency, but it’s a start,” he said. Mr Ouattara has plans to broadcast in other parts of the country and eventually to launch ADO television, named after his initials.
UN radio, one of the few independent voices left, was forced to shift its frequency when state radio usurped its broadcast. “We’ve received threats from the government on TV and from people in the street,” said a senior editor at the station, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “They accuse us of spreading lies for Ouattara and several journalists have been forced to start living at the office for fear of going home.”