TUNIS: Tunisia’s Islamist-led administration is to launch an Internet television channel to try to get its message across, a minister said yesterday after reporters at state media went on strike to protest what they called government attempts to impose control.
Tunisia’s once-staid media has enjoyed a new lease of life since last year’s removal of autocratic leader Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali, but activists accuse the government, led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, of now trying to restrict freedom of speech.
The 1,200 members of the Tunisian journalists’ union, including staff at state television channels and news agency TAP, went on strike in protest on Wednesday. There were no newspapers for sale yesterday, but journalists had returned to work.
“We decided to launch Kasbah TV on the Internet in order to end the isolation of the government in local media and be able to provide information to citizens about the achievements of the government,” Economy Minister Rida Saidi told reporters.
REUTERS
