The Parliament is willing to contribute actively to the promotion and development of the media sector, Speaker of the Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP), Brahim Bouderbala, said at a meeting with President of the Tunisian Federation of Newspaper Editors (FTDJ), Taieb Zaher, and his accompanying delegation on Tuesday at the Bardo Palace.
The speaker was quoted in a press release as affirming the institution’s willingness to contribute to the development of the media sector through the adoption of a legislative mechanism that meets the needs, specificities and developments of the media landscape.
Bouderbala took the opportunity to stress the importance of media freedom as one of the main achievements of the post-revolutionary period, and called for this capital of freedom of expression to be put at the service of the country’s general interest.
«In this delicate situation underwent by the country, the media are called upon more than ever to fulfil their mission to the best of their ability,» stressed the ARP Speaker, reaffirming the willingness of the parliamentary institution to show openness and cooperation with the media.
«We are concerned with regulating and organising relations between Parliament and the media. To this end, we are working to establish a system of accreditation and to create appropriate working conditions within the parliamentary institution so that media professionals can best play their role in informing the public about draft laws.»
The President of the Tunisian Federation of Newspaper Directors (FTDJ) reviewed the various problems facing the media sector in Tunisia, citing in particular the issue of public advertising and the means for the media to make the most of it.
In this context, he called for the adoption of a law creating a national agency for the management of public advertising in order to better regulate this issue and deal with it transparently. The importance of print media subscriptions as a source of funding and a guarantee of sustainability is no longer in question, he said.
Zaher said he was pleased to see the ARP president’s willingness to work openly with the media and to work to regulate relations between the two parties. He stressed the FTDJ’s full willingness to provide assistance and useful approaches in this regard, especially on the issue of accreditation.
The participants in this meeting had the opportunity to raise a number of issues related to the concerns of media professionals, including Decree-Law No. 54 of 13 September 2022 on the fight against crimes related to information and communication systems.
They also mentioned the difficulties faced by many media outlets, which are in a precarious situation and threatened to disappear due to lack of financial resources.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse