On the World Press Freedom Day … What has Changed in the Tunisian Media?

May 3, 2021

On the third of May every year, Tunisia and the rest of the world celebrate the International Day for Freedom of the Press, which is organized this year under the slogan “Information is a public good.” This occasion is an opportunity to highlight the important role that the media play during difficult times and the crises which societies undergo, especially during the current global health crisis, so what has changed in the Tunisian media since last year?

The Tunisian media gained a share of freedom during January 14^th  revolution, which enabled it to be the first in the Arab world in the field of press freedom in recent years, knowing that it was ranked late before the revolution (139^th in the world). Tunisia has also witnessed a big leap in the Internet Freedom Index, ranking 23^rd  in the world in 2020, as attested by international reports.

Freedom of the Press has Declined in Tunisia for the first Time since the Revolution

Despite its progress in the level of freedom of the press, Tunisia has fallen by one point in the annual World Press Freedom Rankings 2021 of Reporters Without Borders, ranking 73^rd (72^nd in 2020).

The organization states that since the 2019 elections, “this freedom has become a more political bet than ever before, as right-wing parliamentarians and politicians no longer hesitate to attack media actors in public.”

Suhaib Al-Khayati, director of the organization’s Tunis office, said the decline was “a very serious indicator in a country that sees freedom of expression and the press as the most important gain,” adding that the legislative framework on press freedom in Tunisia is incomplete, and is among the indicators that caused Tunisia’s rating to decline, and the Corona pandemic is likely to be an obstacle for journalists to obtain information.

Tunisia’s declining ranking was expected, according to Tunisian Journalists Syndicate Vice President Amira Mohamed, due to attacks on journalists during the performance of their work, and to past periods that have recorded major stops in the confrontation between journalists, the government and parliament in relation to draft laws concerning the sector,” she said.

“The year 2021 was triggered by very serious indications, perhaps the most recent of which was the appointments dropped on Shams FM radio and the Tunis African News Agency and the security forces’ incursion into the agency’s headquarters to impose a political appointment, which it considered “a profound blow to the independence of the media.”

Difficulties in the Media Sector

Media institutions in Tunisia are experiencing accumulated difficulties previous to 2011, and the deficit has exacerbated in large part due to the Corona crisis since last year.

In this regard, the Director of the Institute of Journalism and Information Sciences, Hmida El-bour, confirmed in a previous statement to “JDD”, early February, that the Corona pandemic has deepened the economic crisis for the media, as journalistic production has been affected by several changes, including working remotely and the demise of a number of media institutions such as some printed newspapers.

For his part, journalist Naji Al-Bghouri confirmed that the Corona crisis revealed the economic fragility of the media and the weakness of the management and governance of their institutions, and It unmasked the financing of the media, as an essential part of it depends on suspicious and unclear funding.

Al-Baghouri also indicated that the Corona pandemic negatively affected journalists, as they are the weakest link within media institutions. They are, hence, either dismissed or have their wages reduced, which will negatively affect the quality of the media.

Growing Phenomenon of Attacks on Journalists

On the other hand, the monitoring unit at the Occupational Safety Center of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists recorded 28 attacks on journalists during the month of March alone, and 35 notifications of harassment and violence cases were received by the unit.

The attacks affected 37 victims, divided into 26 journalists and 11 photographers and photojournalists, and the victims were distributed by gender to 11 women and 26 men. Security officials issued the order of attackers against journalists during the month of March 2021, as they were responsible for 12 attacks, followed by representatives of the people and activists with 3 attacks for each one of them.

The ministries were responsible for two attacks, followed by media professionals, supporters of a political party, protesters, politicians, workers in a private institution, doctors, merchants, and civil society activists, with one attack on each of them.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, on Monday, May 2, in which it confirmed that freedom of the press and the media constitute a cornerstone of the system of human rights and freedoms and a fundamental pillar of democracy and the rule of law, as there is no democracy without a free press, and there is no free media without providing a safe environment that guarantees the safety of journalists and their protection from all forms of harassment and threats that prevent them from exercising their duties normally.