IREX
International Research & Exchanges Board

MSI Africa 2006-2007

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Chad

Introduction

Overall Country Score:  1.86

On May 25, 2007, newspapers in Chad could once again be distributed without submitting each issue to, and requesting prior authorization from, the Ministry of Communication. For six months, the printed press had been subject to preliminary censorship as a result of a state of emergency declared on November 13, 2006, by the government and enacted 10 days later by the National Assembly. The state of emergency was an attempt to curb the inter-community violence that had claimed many lives in the eastern part of the country. The state of emergency expired—and with it, prior censorship—when the government failed to request an extension from the National Assembly as required by the Constitution.

Many observers saw the state of emergency as a way for President Idriss Déby to control the press. Criticism of his regime had become more and more virulent in 2006. His government held a successful referendum to modify the Constitution, allowing the president to run indefinitely; he won reelection the same year. In the midst of negative press coverage, at least three journalists were sent to prison that year.

However, it was the Déby government that helped allow the creation of the present-day media in Chad. Until his rise to power, information was dominated by state-owned media monopolies such as Chad National Radio, Chad National Television, and Chad Press Agency. Today, a number of associative and community radio stations and publications are in operation, although television is still the sole province of the state.

Chad’s overall score was certainly helped by a fairly high score of 2.50 in Objective 5 supporting institutions. Objective 1 (freedom of speech) barely scored above 2, while Objectives 2 and 3 (professional journalism and plurality of news, respectively) scored 1.91 and 1.78. Objective 4, business management, was clearly the laggard, having the largest negative impact on the overall score with a 1.03.

Objective 1: Freedom of Speech

Score: 2.07

In this objective, many of the indicators were close to the overall objective score, although Indicator 4, crimes against journalists, was rated nearly a full point lower. On the high side, panelists noted that no legal restrictions prevent joining the journalism profession, and rated Indicator 9 more than a point higher than the average.

The Constitution’s amended Article 27 (adopted on March 31, 2006) and Law no. 029/1994 regulate the press in Chad. While the laws recognize freedom of the press and are in line with international standards, problems exist with enforcement. This is true particularly in the countryside, where local administrators ignore the law and violate freedom of speech with impunity. The main obstacles to upholding freedom of the press, according to the panelists, are the exaggerated zeal of authorities and ignorance of the law.

Panelists felt that the license-granting system for the broadcast media is legally just and competition-based. This responsibility is entrusted to the Higher Communication Council (HCC), while frequencies are granted by the Chad Office for Telecommunications Regulation. The HCC as a regulatory body is highly subservient to political power, despite being constitutionally mandated in Article 184. It consists of nine members: three representatives of the media and six political appointees.

So far, no case of discrimination in terms of granting frequency licenses has been observed. A press outlet that is not granted a license has the right to appeal with the administrative chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice or with the Court of Appeals, depending on whether the case is opened in N’Djamena or in the provinces. At this time, only radio licenses are in non-government hands; a monopoly on television is maintained by the state broadcaster, Teletchad.

All panelists decried the lack of a tax exemption benefiting media companies. Most of the radio stations are incorporated as non-profit organizations and not as businesses, since commercial radio licenses are prohibitively expensive. But radio stations are not tax exempt like other non-profits, and are subject to the same tax regime as any other sector of the Chadian economy. Gato FM, the one radio station that functions as a business with a commercial license, is treated the same as any other business.

Arrests, assassinations, intimidations, and attacks have occurred frequently in recent years. During 2005, 12 cases of offenses against the freedom of the press were brought, and 11 cases were brought in 2006. This is a diminishing tendency, however, particularly due to the temporary censorship measures that were designed to prevent any publishing that might damage the reputation of the Déby regime. The perpetrators of such offenses have never been prosecuted.

Chadian law guarantees the independence of journalists; however, state media are permanently under the supervision of the Ministry of Communication.

Defamation is covered by the criminal code (Article 47 of the Press Law) and offenses are punishable by one to six months in prison. The defendant in defamation cases must prove truth. Corruption of judges is strongly suspected by society at large, but is hard to prove. At the 2003 general convention of the judiciary, even the magistrates decried the large number of corruption cases among their ranks.

According to the US State Department’s 2006 Human Rights Practices report, no freedom of information law exists in Chad. The report also states that information is often released to journalists working for state media, and private journalists complain of this unfair treatment. MSI panelists, on the other hand, reported that access to public information is free both for the public and the private media, except in cases of national security, when information is only granted to the state media.

Naturally, access to international media is easier in N’Djamena than in the provinces. The Chadian media freely broadcast or relay the news appearing in the foreign media (e.g., RFI, BBC).

Access to the journalism profession in Chad is regulated neither by the press law nor by the ethics and deontology code, and therefore is not restricted. Any person wishing to become a journalist may do so, even without appropriate training.

Objective 2: Professional Journalism

Score: 1.91

From panelists’ observations, it appears that journalism in Chad complies with professional quality standards. Ethical and deontological standards are in effect and accepted by all media players. At the same time, Chadian journalists are confronted with problems such as small salaries, financial difficulties in accessing to news sources, self-censorship in both the public and private media, and obsolete equipment. In addition, certain political and economic actors practice “conscience buying” by offering gifts to journalists.

As a reflection of these conditions, individual indicators fell fairly close to the overall average. Rated somewhat higher was Indicator 8, niche reporting, while noticeably lower were indicators 3 and 7, related to self-censorship and modern equipment.

As a general rule, reports in private media are objective and well documented. There are cases where, in order to produce a sensationalist piece of news, journalists do not check their facts thoroughly and present a subjective and sometimes strongly biased version of the facts. In their research, journalists appeal to experts such as those in the legal, medical, or engineering fields.

The ethics and deontology code for the Chadian press was published in 2002 by the Union of Chad Journalists. These standards are in accordance with international norms and are well accepted by all media players in Chad. Unfortunately, as is the case in many African countries, panelists reported quite a few cases of sidestepping the code. The most widespread phenomenon is gombo, a paid-for report, which is practiced mostly by young independent journalists trying to eke out a living.

Self-censorship exists both in the public and private media. Panelists felt that this practice is actually justified, out of fear of angering political authorities, losing one’s job, or endangering relations with advertising clients. While certain social issues may be addressed easily, more politically sensitive topics are carefully avoided. Self-censorship is not necessarily a daily practice by editors; it has become a habit of journalists who obey their media outlets’ editorial policies, which typically include guidelines on what not to cover. Conforming with such editorial policies strips journalists of their freedom and critical judgment.

Chadian journalists do not cover all events taking place in the country. The government in 2006 prohibited any media coverage of the unrest in the eastern regions of the country—a measure that gave rise to the preliminary censorship idea. In some cases, the law forbids the media to cover certain kinds of events. For example, electoral law forbids the private media to disclose exit poll results until the final results are published by the electoral committee. This prohibition does not affect the public media. With regard to some other sensitive issues, such as national security, there is no legal or regulatory restriction, but addressing such questions can lead to reprisals against journalists or their media outlet. For example, Evariste Ngaralbaye, a freelance journalist for Notre Temps, spent four days in prison in 2006 for publishing an article accusing the national army of recruiting and fielding minors.

Salaries of journalists are insignificant and vary between FCFA 30,000 and FCFA 50,000 ($60 to $100) monthly. According to the panelists, this very low salary explains the begging and corruption that is common practice in the profession.

News and information are not available at all times. For example, the national television only broadcasts from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Entertainment prevails over news throughout the media. Statistics show 30 percent of programming is news, 60 percent is entertainment, and 10 percent is cultural and educational programs.

Because of obsolete equipment, no Chadian broadcasters, not even the national radio station and television channel, are covering the entire national territory. Community radios, the most numerous of the media outlets, need modern, more powerful digital equipment. The printed press is also affected by having to use obsolete printing presses. Chad has four private printing shops: the Chad Printing House, the AGB Printing House, the Chad National Printing House, and the Evangelical Printing House. Any proposed equipment aid would have the most impact in the printing industry.

Chadian broadcasters do present quality programs. Depending on their editorial policies, some media outlets process news better than others. The written press is better at presenting news, particularly economic news, than other media forms. The private audio-visual media reports newsworthy events better than the public media.

Objective 3: Plurality of News

Score: 1.78

Panelists’ scores reflected a limited diversity of news and information sources available to the public. For example, they returned a score of nearly zero for Indicator 4, due to the existence of only one news agency, which is state owned. Two indicators did score about a point higher than the average: Indicators 2 and 5, restrictions on citizen access to media and private broadcasters producing their own news.

Chad has a variety of news sources: television, radio, written press, and the Internet. These sources are freely available, since no legal measure prevents citizen access to media. However, most media are based in N’Djamena and other urban areas, making access difficult for rural populations. Another limiting factor is the very low income level: only about three percent of the population can afford to buy a newspaper regularly. This explains the scarceness of foreign newspapers in Chad and the irregular publication or low print runs of most national papers. In the rural areas, the country’s 30 community radio stations provide the most widespread access to media. The Internet is a luxury for Chadians and is not available outside urban areas. Chad has only one Internet provider, SOTEL Tchad.

As in many other African countries, in Chad the public media are first and foremost in the service of the government and political institutions. The managers of these media are members of the president’s party. More than 80 percent of the news on state television and radio covers the activities of the president and the government. Often the opposition does not have access to state media. Cultural, public health, and educational programs occupy an insignificant amount of airtime on state media.

Private radio stations produce their own news shows and rebroadcast foreign media productions. For example, FM Liberté Radio rebroadcasts the shows of Voice of America.

No information is available to the public concerning media ownership. Financial matters, such as silent partner investors, are particularly opaque. Nevertheless, given that many media outlets are openly biased, it is possible to know the identity or the political affiliation of an owner by following editorial content. The Catholic Church owns six radio stations throughout the country, but these radio stations are owned by the dioceses, which are independent from each other.

The press addresses a large number of social interests, but no media outlets are specifically aimed at Chad’s minority populations. Until recently, the only taboo subject for media was female circumcision. Recently, the managers of Dja FM had problems with Muslim religious leaders for having addressed this issue on the air.

Objective 4: Business Management

Score: 1.03

In this objective, no indicator scored well. Indicators 2, 4, and 5 (relating to multiple sources of income, ratio of advertising to other sources of income, and government subsidies) scored about half a point above the final average. However, Indicator 3 scored nearly a 0, reflecting the lack of an established advertising market; and Indicator 7 did score a 0, as no data is collected on circulation or audiences.

In Chad, press outlets are not organized as true business operations and are not profitable business companies. With the exception of the state media, private outlets are managed without heeding any accounting or business standards. For example, they never use balance sheets. Journalists’ salaries are exclusively at the discretion of their outlets’ managers.

Twice since 2000, the government has provided financial aid to the media. Annual direct aid is stipulated in the Press Law (articles 32-35), yet in most cases, this earmark is distributed to an unknown destination. Such aid is granted according to the size and professionalism of each media outlet, and these criteria are judged solely by the HCC. Media income comes from partnerships with international organizations, business companies, and advertising. The state media receive both direct government disbursements and income from advertising.

Chad has no advertising agency or established market. Clients often impose advertising rates, and media outlets accept the rates because they have no other choice. The space allotted to advertising in the media is less than one percent. Given these factors, income from advertising is ridiculously low. To bridge the gap, the media constantly search for external financing sources as well as subscriptions. According to the Press Law, advertising receipts for community media cannot exceed 20 percent of their revenue.

No market research, audience ratings, circulation figures, or statistics on Internet usage are available in Chad.

Objective 5: Supporting Institutions

Score: 2.50

Panelists rated highly the work of associations and NGOs, and the scores on Indicators 1, 2, and 3 clearly brought up the final average. On the other hand, the weakness of formal education and distribution networks meant that Indicators 4 and 7 received scores below 2.

Chad has supporting associations that work with international organizations to protect media sector interests and pressure public authorities. The Chad Private Press Publishers Association and Union of Chadian Private Radios offer training programs to journalists and advocate for the business and legal interests of their members. The Union of Chadian Journalists, the Union of Communication Professionals, the Association of Women Journalists, and the Association of Arabic-Speaking Journalists offer services such as professional training, lobbying for press freedom, and courses on upholding the rules of ethics and deontology. Membership in these organizations is robust.

International NGOs, although present, are not involved in reforming legislation concerning the media. These NGOs often pressure for the reformation of press legislation at the government level, but once reforms are underway, the government does not consult with NGOs or obtain their opinions and considerations.

The quality of education in Chad has declined significantly in recent years. This affects the quality of young graduates, who are usually ill prepared to enter the workforce. Chad has no school of journalism, apart from the Sub-Department of Communication functioning within the Department of Language and Literature at the University of N’Djamena. Young journalists must go to Niamey in Niger or Yaoundé in Cameroon for professional training.

Short-term training programs are offered by foreign and local organizations. They focus on reporting, editing techniques, news gathering, news processing, and publishing techniques, thus allowing journalists to retrain and work at the same level as their regional counterparts. These training programs are free of charge. The panelists expressed a wish that trainings also focus on legal and judicial issues.

All printing houses belong to the private sector, are apolitical, and are freely accessible. Media distribution networks belong to the private sector. They are not restricted and are often apolitical. Travel agencies distribute the printed press from N’Djamena to the rest of the country.

Panel Participants

Bertin Tumba, member, JED
Odjitan Maji Maji, member, URPT
Nadjikimo Benoudjita, director, Notre Temps Newspaper
Tchanguiz Vatankhah, editor-in-chief, Brakoss Radio
Laldjim Narcisse, correspondent, RSF
Hoinathy Gotngar Noubatan, journalist, Lofiko Sarh Radio
Mahamat Abdoulaye Hassan, DJA FM Radio
Aze Keite Djamso, director, Télévision Tchadienne

Moderator 

Odjitan Maji Maji, journalist, FM Libert