The Association of Online Press Editors and Professionals (APPEL) through this declaration received by our colleagues at PressAfrik has just presented substantive arguments to the Minister of Communication. This missive dated October 7, 2024 sounds like a reaction to the decree of Minister Alioune Sall. In a decree dated August 16, 2024, Mr. Sall launched an online registration platform for press companies. An initiative, which apparently is not to the taste of the association.
Thus, APPEL confirms having read the new decree of the Minister of Communication creating the “Commission for the examination and validation of the declaration of press companies in Senegal”. However, the association informs: “no matter how hard you look for it in the main thread of the Press Code, it is not there, just as it is conspicuous by its absence in all the implementing texts of the Code. This is why, by the magic of a quick shortcut, it must be said that this ministerial decree is a sort of UFO in the legal and institutional ordering of the media sector”.
Referring to this decree from the minister, APPEL sees it as being drafted in a cavalier manner, without any consultation or consultation, assuming a right of life and death over press companies. Indeed, the association of online press publishers mentioned article 2, which the minister used to list its missions. On this, she informs: “he says, among other things, to examine the registration requests of press companies addressed to the Ministry via the platform referred to above, to ensure compliance with the eligibility criteria and the required conditions , with regard to the legislation in force, validate or reject registration requests…”.
”When the text imposed by the minister speaks of validating or rejecting, he exceeds his prerogatives and thumbs his nose at the regulatory authority”
Furthermore, the Minister of Communication is criticized for having imposed a text which suffers from a glaring lack of clarity and precision. Furthermore, we argue on the APPEL side: “To avoid any possibility of confusion, it should indicate and specify the “legislation in force”. When he talks about validating or rejecting, he is overstepping his prerogatives and thumbing his nose at the regulatory authority. The National Audiovisual Regulatory Council (CNRA), which is an independent administrative authority with full powers over the audiovisual sector, is confined to the status of a figure in this famous commission. The presence of the Ministries of the Interior and Justice is even more intriguing”.
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“On August 16, the Minister of Communication launched an online registration platform for press companies. Despite the inadequacies of the support, the media registered there en masse. Even for this initiative, still glaring errors were noted. Which lie in the criteria listed in the implementation order, and those listed on this platform. Since then, there has been no report specifying the number of registered companies, their typology among other analytical data. Those who have registered have no information about the process. What about article 9 of the minister’s decree which speaks of the Permanent Commission?” , APPEl remarked, while wondering.
According to the association, the registration problem never arose. Because, she argues, “on December 15, 2022, a 40-day registration campaign was launched by the predecessor of the current minister. It did not arouse any tension or reaction of disapproval from the actors. Moreover, the figures put forward by the Authority often come from this census”.
Ultimately, the APPEL questions “the real wishes of the minister. A legitimate question, especially since, since the instructions of the President of the Republic made in the Council of Ministers for a “renewed dialogue”, no action has been taken in this direction. Appel has the impression that the authorities snub or look down on media actors. While they all share the same objectives which are the sanitation of the sector”.
