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Niger - The Press and freedom |
MEDIA
The principle of press freedom in Niger dates from the restoration of a
multi-party state in 1990;
the Press, however, still needs to find true
freedom...to free itself from itself
What is Niger’s Press? From 1960 to 1990, the only newspaper read, and the only radio station listened to were those run by the political authorities. They were simply the «loyal voice» of the ruler, who tolerated no suspect turn of phrase that could threaten the durability of the established order. Even to think was a crime! Following the example of the Press in former Eastern bloc countries which went out of its way to praise the existing dictatorships, our Press was totally devoted to the cause of the single-party state and the overwhelming voice of its intangible message. The lack of competing newspapers was just about alleviated by the appearance of a few scanty student pamphlets.
The wind of democracy — Things began to change during the 1990s in the wake of the wind of democracy sweeping across the continent. Slowly but surely, new journals saw the light of day, openly daring to question the traditional clichés, hitherto seen as unshakeable truths in political policy. It wasn’t easy, given what had always been the custom and peoples’ habits of continually praising the party in power.
We are reminded, in this respect, that the first opponents of the free press were, paradoxically, the journalists themselves! When one of their members dared to take a bold step forward (in the periodical Haske), his colleagues, more used to toeing the party line in their reporting, could think of nothing better to do than to drag their colleague through the mud. However, this journalist’s bravery was just a start, and soon a wave of questioning and other protest movements were underway. These movements were to culminate in the July 1991 Sovereign National Conference.
True press freedom in Niger, therefore, dates from the restoration of a multi-party state in 1989-1990. From 1990 to now, more than 30 titles have appeared on the stands, some still existing, others already having disappeared from the kiosks because of Niger’s current economic restrictions. At the present time, there are about twenty weekly journals, and unfortunately only one daily, Le Sahel, which is government-controlled. As regards radio and TV, Niger has about a dozen commercial radio stations, including 4 FM stations in Niamey. A commercial TV station, TV-Ténéré, has just started experimental broadcasting.
What does the Press talk about? A little of everything it seems: Politics, social affairs, culture, with the main subject being politics. The countless political upheavals suffered by the country in less than 10 years have strangely whetted the appetite of Nigériens for political issues. This means an interest in all sorts of news, true or very often false, about this party or that politician, whether it is the government suspected of practising exclusion or a witch hunt. It may also be the opprobrium cast on a citizen condemned for committing a crime.
It must be admitted — privately-owned newspapers as a whole are openly biased in favour or one or other political party. It would be astonishing if it were otherwise, given the weight of the influence of political parties in the daily life of the newspapers on sale. Do you have something against a political opponent? Simply find a newspaper that accords with your feelings, to achieve your end. You can even have airtime on a commercial radio station to create the incident you want.
Credibility in question — This all-too frequent partisanship by the commercial press has greatly contributed to damaging its credibility and the original keen interest in the Media craze of the 1990s. What paper should you buy from this melting-pot to find a minimum of objectivity in reporting? There isn’t one! The reader has to use his or her own intuition to choose something more or less suitable. A paper is only appreciated and applauded by its own stake-holders, the interest group it supports. How can we speak of freedom of the press under these conditions?
So, how can the Press achieve true freedom? How can it liberate itself from itself? The question may seem nonsense to those who are not involved in this profession. Some would actually categorically deny this ideal of objectivity or even honesty in the Press, seeing it simply as a matter of a point of view. They would say that everyone has their own preferences, and it would be naïve to believe that anyone can live in an environment without some kind of prejudice. The daily battle for survival makes demands that are ignored by reason and ethical concerns. Then again, what is the point in celebrating press freedom, if this freedom is going to be hijacked by hidden powers?
Manipulated freedom — The question must be asked: Since 1990, hasn’t everything been done to ensure freedom in the Media? In the days following the Sovereign National Conference, a Higher Council for Communications was formed, and was enshrined in the Constitution. This made clear the importance and significance of the profession. The Council then organised an assembly of all those involved in communications work — the whole idea was to ensure that the Media did the best job possible, but at the same time preserved its freedom. To this end, appropriate legislation had to be enacted, but the ensuing laws were manipulated to such an extent so as to produce modifications, to the misfortune of some journalists, who were imprisoned for minor crimes.
While all this was taking place, journalists themselves set up parallel structures to defend their democratic rights. There are nowadays five professional organisations for defending press freedom and the interests of those involved in media work. Recently a Centre for Media Ethics was established, responsible for combating all forms of action against the Press in Niger. But truth to say, journalists need to put their own house in order first of all.
In the meantime, periodicals continue to support their own preferred candidates, with each publication geared to a closely-targeted audience. Every periodical does its best to win its patron’s favour, before the latter loses his/her position and prestige, becoming in turn the target of the periodicals which formerly supported them. The power of the Media is such that the former opponent of yesterday will suddenly become the newly-crowned king of today, thanks to the hard-hitting article of an inspired editorial writer.
The way things are going, our people will continue to live on a downward trend with ever-increasing misery continuing slowly but surely to unravel the very fabric of our society. Young people will continue to live in their uneasy despair, injustice will undermine the base of true social solidarity and women will be discriminated against in every possible way.
And what will those who are able to influence the nation say? «Tough luck. “My man” is in power at the moment, and he’s looking after me!»
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