"NEW AGENDA 2014"-"THE IVORIAN PRESS AND THE POLITICAL POWER TODAY: IS THE "UNJCI"(Ivorian Journalistic Union) IN A REMOTE CONTROL"?

(...)The Press always takes on the form and the coloration of the social and political structures within it operates.
It is strongly affected and limited by the nature of its environment. As a result, media practitioners are indeed the
products of their society; their social experiences affect the way they do their job. Down the line, the press can be
to some extent an instrument for social and political change. In the same trend, during periods of acute conflicts,
turmoil and economic tribulation, it can even serve as a catalyst for revolutionary transformation.
Let's come to the facts and the basis, as far as the IVORY COAST is concerned: After the recent murder of a prominent
Journalist (DESIRE OUE) shot dead by the ivorian armed forces in his home yard (LAST NOVEMBER 14TH 2013), the
controversy would without doubt reach the pinacle because the "UNJCI"(Ivorian Journalistic Union) did not argue and utter a single word, to the amazement of the Panafrican Journalists living abroad namely in FRANCE.
That can be labeled as a suspicious stance. Is the UNJCI manipulated by the ivorian current regime? Is the UNJCI in a remote
control? Probably one can believe in that stance and argument when gathering some conspicuous facts related to the murder
of "DESIRE OUE". It seems that the UNJCI can be compared to a tame in a country where a rampant corruption remains the daily cup of coffee in a so called ivorian bureaucracy...
However, the UNJCI (Ivorian Journalistic Union) was launched in the nineghties to serve as the conscious of the local Journalistic Ivorian world. Its stated objective in the same trend was to stimulate self-appraisal and criticism among newspapermen in the IVORY COAST.
Right now in PARIS, there will be a rally and demonstrations of the Panafrican journalists scheduled (SATURDAY 11TH-2014
PARIS-REPUBLIQUE at 13 o'clock in the afternoon).According to credible sources, more than 100 Journalists will take part in that rally, so as to point out the fact the current ivorian regime is still trampling on the fundamental human rights today, despite the apparent so called rhetoric about peace and reconciliation in the country in the process of an international image cleaning strategy!
That is not so far from a soft hypocrisy. As a result, actions must speak louder than words in the IVORY COAST.
WAIT AND SEE!

(BY YVES T BOUAZO)