Reporters confiding into foreign representations12/02/2010 | 11:48:51
A rather special work session was held in the Carlton hotel. It was the Malagasy reporters' occasion to openly display their profession's difficulties indulged in by the political crisis to Antananarivo's diplomatic bodies.
Many journalists confirmed that they are repeatedly being threatened. "Your turn behind bars has come", so reads the usual text messages recieved by some reporters on their mobiles.
Some twenty reporters were present during the session. Most of the capital city's foreign embassies sent their representatives to this meeting. Four journalists work in various regions of the country were there too.
Since the beginning of the crisis, the Malagasy press has been becoming a shadow of its former self. Three reporters have been jailed in less than one year. Now, journalists Lolo Ratsimba, as well as the Fahazavàna radio station, Didier Ravoahangiarison, are still behind bars. They are charged as accomplices of December's aborted RAS camp's mutiny.
The High Authority of Transition’s top spokesman is now one of the Malagasy press’ very famous reporter. Rolly Mercia is his name, editor in chief for the La Verite daily newspaper, and political presenter for Andry Rajoelina’s Viva radio station.[See]
Georges Ranaivosoa, reporter, founder of the « Revue de l’Ocean Indien” and skilled businessman, has died on June the 08th in Antananarivo at the age of 76 years old. The Malagasy press has lost one more of its leading figures.[See]
Since one week, six journalists and two employees from the Fahazavàna radio station are in criminal brigade custody. The Midi Madagascar newspaper recently reported that they started a hunger strike, the information swiftly denied by the police forces.[See]
As an ending chapter to one to the capital city's chaos day, the last servicing radio channel supportive of Marc Ravalomanana was silenced by the High Authority of Transition, in the evening of May 20th.[See]
After a couple of days offline, the Frequence Plus radio channel is resuming...tries. Regular services will definitely resume later according to the leadership[See]
The incident induced by the arrest of three of the opposition's politicians in the Frequence Plus radio station's facilities is shaking the capital city's media world.[See]
What the Malagasy press has been undergoing is rather strange. Journalists are searching for solidarity which happens to be increasingly hard to capitalize. The political crisis had the upper hand there too.[See]
Media stations closed or burnt down by supporters of the High Authority of Transition have definitely vanished for one year. Now they are, however, likely to be on their way to recovery. the madagascan journalists' union members addressed the issue onto Nathalie Rabe, the HAT communication minister.[See]
The detention of some colleagues in the run of the year 2009 political crisis has led to the foundation of a club called the Union of Madagascan Journalists. The Union is sensitizing each and everyone on journalists' duty in the Malagasy society.[See]
