By: Kemo Kanyi
Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, has revealed that the government plans to regulate the media landscape through its new reforms that require accreditation for all journalists in The Gambia.
In an interview on Coffee Time over West Coast Radio on Tuesday, the minister stated that the government was working on reforms expected to be implemented in January that would change the media landscape.
“We are going to make sure that every journalist is accredited in this country now. You cannot just wake up in the morning, call yourself a journalist, and hold a microphone. You must be accredited,” Dr. Ceesay noted.
He said that the new media houses, like the online media, are now competing with traditional media, saying that the traditional media are licensed, and they are working within the framework of regulation.
“They are competing for the same thing, and some online media in the country are not regulated. We think that is not fair for accountability. I think all media houses in this country, whether online or traditional, must work within a framework of some regulation and guidelines,” he cited.
He says this is necessary because when the current regulations were made, there was no new media, stating that the focus was on radio stations, newspapers, and TV stations.
The minister added that online news outlets also publish news, but they are not regulated, maintaining that they are outside of regulation, so nobody holds them accountable for their omissions.
“There are no guidelines for them. I think this is not going to happen. This doesn’t happen anywhere now,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay added that they must be regulated now with some form of regulation, clarifying that the government is not trying to censor anybody.
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By: Kemo Kanyi Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, has revealed that the government plans…
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