Regulatory commission rebuts state of media report

The Rwanda Media Commission (RMC), the media self-regulator in the country, has dismissed France-based Reporters Without Borders’ report on the current state of media in Rwanda, saying it was “full of falsehoods and completely uninformed.” The report that focused on the 2014 world press freedom index ranked Rwanda among countries where it was difficult to practice journalism. But RMC chairperson Fred Muvunyi, in a statement released yesterday, said Rwandan journalists are in a better position to discuss the atmosphere under which they operate than Reporters Without Borders which “has consistently portrayed Rwanda as not making credible progress in advancing the media and its freedoms.” “RMC, as a body mandated to protect journalists and advocate for their independence and freedoms, was shocked by the case studies used by Reporters Without Borders to conclude that there is no media freedom in Rwanda,” reads part of the statement. While painting a picture of harassment of journalists in Rwanda, Reporters Without Borders highlighted the case of American freelance journalist, Steve Terrill, who was denied entry into the country over drug conviction in the US. Terrill was arrested in a Police sting operation, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and fined $1,000. “This should not be a legitimate reason to conclude that the situation in Rwanda is alarming for those practicing journalism. RMC finds it surprising that Reporters Without Borders never condemned the US government which arrested Terrill and charged him, but was quick to condemn Rwanda for denying him entry on suspected criminal activity,” Muvunyi said. “The government of Rwanda has in the recent past instituted several major reforms aimed at ensuring media freedom. These include Access to Information Law enacted in March 2013; and an amended Media Law introducing media self-regulation.” The regulatory agency said the fact that over the last 12 months, not a single journalist had been brought before courts of law for charges related to the profession, should underscore the state of the media in the country. In the latest Reporters Without Borders report, Rwanda is ranked 162nd out of 180, behind countries like DR Congo, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and others mired in conflicts. Rodrigue Rwirahira, a local journalist, said: “All these reports are biased since in one way or another, they serve certain interests. They mostly fail on methodology, so they find a way of directing the methodology that fits their expectations”. Set up last year, RMC is mandated to protect journalists, regulate their conduct and the functioning of media, as well as ensure that the ethics of the profession are respected.

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Regulatory commission rebuts state of media report