The Media Foundation for West Africa’s (MFWA) national partner in Mali, Maison de la Presse du Mali, has denounced the military junta’s re-allotment of audiovisual frequencies, describing the process as opaque and lacking transparency.
In a statement issued by the Maison de la Presse, a coalition of media organisations in Mali, the announcement of the frequency allotments, which followed a public call for applications, came as a surprise. The statement criticised the process for being conducted without any consultation with the media fraternity.
This lack of consultation, the group said, resulted in several mis-allocations. Many media organizations discovered after the fact that the frequencies assigned to them were in locations that are not suitable for their operations.
“Following the announcement of the results of the Call for Applications for frequencies and authorizations for the establishment, operation, and distribution of private audiovisual communication services, Maison de la Presse and professional organisations in the audiovisual sector were shocked and outraged,” the statement said.
It added, “The Press House and professional organisations acknowledge the results of this Call for Applications, but stress that it was conducted under dubious and opaque conditions, in blatant violation of existing regulations.”
According to the statement, the list of localities concerned, the types of media, and the number of outlets per location were only revealed when the final results were published, further casting doubt on the credibility of the process.
“This practice discredits the entire Call for Applications process,” the statement declared.
The group also noted that the flawed frequency re-allotments are the culmination of a problematic process that began with an interministerial decree which was strongly opposed by media stakeholders.
“It should be emphasised that this Call for Applications was based on interministerial decrees that were unanimously contested by the media fraternity,” the statement concluded.
