The Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HAICA) called on the Presidency of the Republic to clarify its vision on the future of press freedom in Tunisia and to formulate an effective communication policy with the various overlapping parties.
In a communiqué issued on September 13, 2021, HAICA stated that the Council witnessed grave breaches in many television and radio channels related to citizens’ right to information and their right to express their opinions and positions and to be informed of various opinions and ideas. These breaches also affected the right of various political and civil actors to access these channels.
It also called on journalists to adhere more to the principles of impartiality and objectivity and the ethics of the journalistic profession and to adhere to their independence away from self-censorship.
It pointed out that the political ambition of some owners of media institutions or their desire to position themselves in the political scene to achieve or preserve special interests poses a serious threat to the future of the media in Tunisia.
It added that many television and radio channels “fell under the influence of political strife and calculations,” which negatively affected their commitments to the diversity of opinions and the multiplicity of angles in the media’s handling of the July 25 issue and resulted in an insult to the rules and ethics of the journalistic profession.
