Those of us who went through the interview of the present director general of the MBC in Saturday?s edition of l?express must have been totally bemused by the effrontery in which he ?accepts? that the MBC has and continues to be the doormat of those in power! In fact, his comments show a total disrespect towards the most important segment of the broadcasting business ? the viewers. This is even more unacceptable when it is known that the MBC obtains a fair share of its revenue from the viewer license fee.

There is no doubt, that the MBC has been for the last two decades or so at the epicentre of systematic governmental abuse, but to accept it as a fact not to be questioned or even be bothered about is shocking.

Across the world broadcasting systems are in flux. Many of these changes are inevitable and have redefined the manner in which the broadcast product is manufactured, offered and consumed. The restrictions and limitations that typified the broadcast industry in relation to matters pertaining to ownership, control and content are slowly being relaxed. This is especially valid for traditional public service broadcasting which no more occupies monopolistic presence within the media landscape. The BBC offers an excellent case in point and the current debates in the UK around the corporation?s continued right to receive the license fee should offer us food for thought concerning established ?privileges? of public broadcasters.

Allowing the MBC to continue its business as usual approach in the treatment and portrayal of news raises a number of questions as to the type of society we live or choose to live in.

Firstly, the model of democracy that Mauritius proudly sells itself within the sub Saharan African region becomes questionable. In fact, a vibrant, impartial and balanced media is considered to be one of the sine qua non features of any democratic system and what has been happening at the MBC for decades demonstrates the extent to which an essential feature of our current democratic model is flawed and deficient.

Secondly, the production and diffusion of news is viewed as an important function of all broadcasting systems. This function becomes even more important when an organization carries a pu-blic service mandate to ?inform, educate and entertain?. For many of us who turn to public television as a source of information, watching the news on the MBC has become a painful experience. Having to sit through ?news items?, which unconditionally praise those in power in the most grotesque and over the board manner make the viewers wonder whether the MBC has not backtracked to the old soviet propaganda model.

Ongoing research within the broadcasting industry has demonstrated that the most popular source of information in many societies remains television and this despite the advent of alternative information platforms such as the Internet. Research has also indicated that news (local, regional and international) produced and distributed by television channels is a key feature that enables viewers to build opinions about events / themes / issues affecting their country and the world at large. In the case of the MBC, its twisted and biased treatment of local news (especially political news) as well as its minimalist coverage of international news can have serious repercussions on the value and validity that Mauritian viewers might attribute to news. Already there is a general feeling of discontent, distrust and even disgust among many Mauritian viewers towards the MBC but till now this feeling has not really translated itself into action. However, when this happens the MBC will be in trouble.

The third issue that we must reflect upon is the type of political culture that we expect Mauritius to mature into. Politicians especially those in power have systematically been given a free hand to dictate what makes news every night. They must realise that being on the black box every night does not make them de facto popular with the population. On the contrary it can have adverse effect creating frustration and angst among viewers who experience image and voice fatigue towards gratuitous and glorified portrayals of those in power. Indeed over the years we heard the numerous complaints and subsequently political pledges from those who have suffered from the biased and unbalanced treatment of news on the MBC. However, once in power the trauma that they claim to have gone through is suddenly forgotten when they in turn are given the ?right? to abuse airtime and airspace.

It is high time that there is a concerted approach to end the ongoing saga at the MBC. Leaving it solely in the hands of politicians and political appointees to change matters at the MBC will tantamount to a perpetual state of status quo. Therefore my appeal goes to the Mauritian viewers to organize themselves in adopting a zero tolerance behaviour and attitude towards twisted and biased news. People power is the essence of a true, open and inclusive democracy and making this happen will enable the Mauritian democracy to really live up to its ideals.

Roukaya KASENALLY</B>