Employees of Burkina Radio and Burkina Television, among others, staged a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Communications to protest government censorship. The protest was triggered by a recent directive from the Ministry of Communications' chief director to edit a news story about a 29 June opposition protest.
Journalists who work for state-owned media in Burkina Faso are protesting excessive censorship and editorial interference by the government and state agencies.
The journalists staged a demonstration on 16 July 2013, in front of the Ministry of Communications’ premises in Ougadougou, the capital, to raise their voices against the censorship articles by state authorities.
The journalists – who are from Burkina Radio, Burkina Television, Sidwaya Publishers, and the Independent Union of Information and Culture Workers (SYNTATIC) – are angered by the “long practice” of government interference in their work and have sounded a caution to the government to cease these unconstitutional practices.
According to the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s monitor in the country, the demonstration was triggered by a recent directive from Adama Barro, the chief director of the Ministry of Communications, to edit a final news story about a 29 June opposition demonstration, which was marred by some police officers.
Following the order, the ministry’s edited story came without images and interview extracts of the opposition leader and organiser of the demonstration, Zéphirin Diabré, the monitor reported.
According to the journalists, “henceforth [journalists] will not subject themselves to the dictates of politicians since it is against the rules of ethics and professionalism.” The government’s interference has caused non-state institutions and individuals from inviting the state-owned media to cover their events, they said.
The Ministry of Communications has since denied these allegations.
The MFWA stands in solidarity with the journalists to demand that the Burkinabe authorities desist from the practice of censoring the media, as it is against the country’s Constitution (Article 8) which guarantees “the freedom of the press.”
MFWA
MFWA
