|
 Asma Ghribi - Tunisia-live - Funds coming indirectly to Tunisian media from the U.S. State Department program MEPI (Middle East Partnership Initiative), have raised concern lately for lack of transparency.
While MEPI doesn’t provide grants to any Tunisian media organization directly, they fund several non-profits who in turn distribute funds to Tunisian radio, television, and other media outlets.
“America Abroad, Institute for War and Peace Reporting and Freedom House are among MEPI grantees operating in media and civil society in Tunisia,” declared Jason Khile, Press Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Tunis. According to Khile, grant recipients in Tunisia are chosen in Washington D.C. after passing selection based on the submission of written proposals.
Yassine Ayari, an eminent Tunisian blogger and activist, expressed reservations regarding the new, unregulated influx of foreign assistance.
“I don’t think that these organizations are being neutral and transparent when selecting their Tunisian counterparts. The criteria and process of selection are not clear,” he stated.
America Abroad, one of the associations to receive a grant from MEPI, is an example of a non-profit organization that has arrived in Tunisia following the ouster of Tunisia’s former dictator President Zine Al-Abedine Ben Ali. The organization’s declared objective is to produce in-depth reporting on critical international issues. Operating in Tunisia, America Abroad is now called “Association Tunisie Media” and is collaborating with several Tunisian radio and television stations in the form of either co-producing shows or training journalists.
Greta Ghacibeh, the manager of America Abroad’s Tunis office, refused to disclose the amount of money received from MEPI.
Additionally, some have expressed concern that by changing its name the organization is implicitly preventing its audience from having an accurate idea about the source of funding for TV or radio shows affiliated with America Abroad.
Ghacibeh explained that adopting a local name is a tradition that America Abroad follows in all the countries. “It is the choice of the Washington D.C.-based America Abroad,” added Ghacibeh.
When asked about suspicions concerning America Abroad’s affiliation with MEPI, and the lack of transparency regarding the extent of their funding, she said, “People in the MENA region are fond of conspiracy theories.”
National Authority for Information and Communication Reform
Kamel Abidi, president of the National Authority for Information and Communication Reform (INRIC), a post-revolutionary committee of experts in charge of media reform, highlighted the positive contribution of some media assistance organizations, and said that INRIC encourages such initiatives if they foster the development of free media in Tunisia. However, Abidi also pointed out that some of these organizations need to be more transparent about their operations.
“Transparency should be the rule for these institutions. They cannot just hide behind other names,” he stated.
Yassine Ayari agreed that transparency in non-profit funding for Tunisian media had to be guaranteed.
“The programs should be transparent and public. From the moment there is money invested in the game, there will be an attempt to serve political interests and even alter the political landscape in the country. As Tunisians we have the right to know what is going on regarding the amounts of money that are being spent to support the democratic transition in Tunisia,” said Ayari.
The U.S. Embassy and MEPI Tunisia have refrained from providing any figures or commenting on the allegations made by Ayari.
Jason Khile denied the recent rumors that have been circulating in Tunisia about Nessma TV receiving a grant from MEPI.
“Neither MEPI nor the U.S. Embassy has provided any money directly to Nessma TV or, indeed, to any other media organization,” he added. However, this does exclude indirect funding for television stations through a MEPI-funded non-profit.
|
