Enhancing Democratic Systems

Yaya Fonye Odette

Description

It is in Mauritius that the first newspaper of the African continent was published. Annonces, Affiches et Avis Divers was created in 1773 by the French administration for the islands of Mauritius and Reunion. Since its independence from Britain in 1968, Mauritius has known a very rich media history with an impressive number of publications and a relatively good level of press freedom. However, many challenges remain. Confrontational episodes in the relationship of the local media with the political sphere, the rise of sensationalist journalism, increased concentration of ownership in the industry as well as market uncertainties have taken their toll on a profession which often prides itself in the defence of freedom of speech and democracy. The media conference jointly organised by UNESCO and the University of Mauritius in 2010 offered a singular opportunity � the first time ever in Mauritius � for media practitioners, regulators, lawyers, politicians, academics and civil society to discuss the state of the media as part of the country�s democratic systems. Media roles and functions, the legal and regulatory framework, self-regulation, market issues and new trends such as citizen journalism were thoroughly examined. This book brings together papers and conclusions from that conference. Whilst much ground has been covered especially since the emergence of private radio stations, much still needs to be done to move towards a true media democracy. The book points to media governance, access to information, training of and professionalism among media practitioners as areas of unfinished business. This is an invaluable contribution to on-going debates about press regulation, liberalisation of electronic media, new forms of journalism, continuous training and professionalization in Mauritius.

Informations

• Publié par: Langaa RPCIG
• Date de parution: 13 août 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789956728015
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 11 Mo

Extrait

ENHANCING DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS The Media in Mauritius: A Dialogue Session

Edited by Christina ChanMeetoo & Roukaya Kasenally

Enhancing Democratic Systems : The Media in Mauritius A Dialogue Session Edited by Christina Chan-Meetoo & Roukaya Kasenally La ng a a R esea rch & Publishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda

Publisher: LangaaRPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [e-mail] www.langaa-rpcig.net Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [e-mail] www.africanbookcollective.com ISBN: 9956-727-19-9 ©Christina Chan-Meetoo & Roukaya Kasenally 2012

DISCLAIMER All views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Langaa RPCIG.

Table of Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………………... vii Introduction…………………………………………………….. ix The Concept Note……………………………………………… xv Welcome Remarks - Dean FSSH, UOM………………………... xix Opening Speech - Ag Vice Chancellor, UOM…………………... xxi Keynote Speech- Mr Amadou Mahtar Ba, CEO African Media Initiative…………………………………………………..xxiii 1. Constitutional and Legal Frameworks: Opportunities and Constraints for the Media Industry –Maneesh Gobin……………..1 2. Freedom and Transparency: A Journalistic Appreciation Subash Gobine…………………………………………………….15 3. Freedom and Transparency: A Journalistic Appreciation Gilbert Ahnee……………………………………………………..25 4. Élargir l'espace démocratique: la presse mauricienne et le citoyen informé -Catherine Boudet…………………………..29 5. The Integrity of Public Institutions: The Case of the MBC –Dan Callikhan…………………………..39 6. Radios Privées: Entre impératifs commerciaux et service public – Abdoollah Earally…………………………………………………45

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7. 21st Century Broadcasting: The Need to Reinvent and Revisit Established Systems. The Case of Mauritius -Roukaya Kasenally……………………………………..51 8. The Role of Regulation– Gilbert Ithier– IBAI…………………65 9. L'Auto-Régulation: Le Code de Conduite - de la NEPA– Lindsay Rivière…………………………………….69 10. State or Self Regulation: The Search for Common Ground – Christina Chan-Meetoo……………………………………………..73 11. Mainstream Political Parties and the Media – Cehl Meeah(FSM)………………………………………………... 87 12. Partis Politiques et Médias – Steven Obeegadoo(MMM)………………………………………….91 13. Mainstream Political Parties and the Media – Nita Deerpalsing(LP)……………………………………………...97 14. Interactive session with mainstream political parties………… 101 15. Extra-parliamentary Dynamics and the Media -Ashok Subron…………………………………………….105 16. Extra-parliamentary Dynamics and the Media – Nilen Vencadasamy………………………………………………..109 17. The Media and Free and Fair Elections –Mayila Paroomal………………………………………115 18. New Spaces, New Challenges: The Relevance of Regulation – Krishna Oolun……………………………………………………..133 19. Les nouveaux habits (virtuels) du iv

journaliste -Rabin Bhujun………………………………………...135 20. Citizen journalism as a means to make people think - Avinash Meetoo……………………………………………………149 21. The Emerging Digital Environment: Opportunities and Constraints -Azhagan Chenganna…………………………………155 22. Training and Professionalism -Kiran Ramsahaye……………..163 23. Presse et Formation: du journaliste au “journanalyste” – Jean-Claude de L’Estrac……………………………………………165 24. Journalism and Training: Views of an Insider – Henri Marimootoo…………………………………………………173 25. Formation et Professionnalisme -Axcel Cheney………………179 26. Formation et Professionnalisme -Jean-Luc Emile…………….183 Annexes………………………………………………………... 187

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Acknowledgements The editors and organisers of the 2010 National Dialogue Session on ‘Enhancing Democratic Systems: The Media in Mauritius’ wish to thank the following organisations and people for having provided support for the initiative: the UNESCO for sponsoring the event and publication, the UOM for logistical support and hosting, the participants who agreed to present and submit a paper, the persons who spontaneously agreed to chair the various sessions, namely, Amadou Mahtar Ba, Ibrahim Koodoruth, Sheila Bunwaree and Caroline Ng Tseung Wong. the people who attended the sessions and participated in discussions, the media who reported on the conduct of the conference, the two conference assistants, Danessa Seenayen and Pravin Meetoo, the Mediacom Studio technician Ketan Ramhit, Enrico Chadien for his pictures, Azhagan Chenganna for help in the logistical aspects, and all UOM staff who have helped in the organisation.

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Introduction The National Dialogue Session on ‘Enhancing Democratic th th Systems: The Media in Mauritius’ was held on the 16 and 17 September 2010 at the University of Mauritius as a joint collaboration between the Communication Studies Unit and UNESCO. The main objective of this dialogue/conference was to provide a forum to discuss certain key issues related to the media in Mauritius; with an added emphasis on the role of the media in society, policy and regulation, relationships with the political sphere, industry trends and training issues. The different panel themes of the conference attracted the presence and participation from a number of key stakeholders: media practitioners, regulatory institutions, political parties, civil society and academia. This led to fruitful exchanges and sometimes passionate debates, more particularly in the sessions devoted to politics and the media. One can only conclude that such opportunities for healthy discussions need to be a regular feature on the local scene, especially when these relate to areas perceived as sensitive. Creating the necessary space to engage into dialogues of such nature are important as they ‘depassionate’ charged and tensed environments which often can be detrimental to the proper functioning of the media. In fact, the present proceedings are being published with a view to more widely disseminate the content of presentations and discussions of the conference and help further 'clear the air'. The papers compiled in this publication follow the order as per the programme of the dialogue session so as to keep the same relevant thematic groupings. Where indicated, some papers were transcribed from audio recordings of the presentations when the speakers could not send their own extended version in writing.

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