Talk:Press freedom groups condemn two-day radio station ban in Burundi

Thanks for the comments, Dan. I'm sorry you felt that the piece fell short of the wikinews NPOV policy, which of course I support. I note your additions to the opening paragraphs, and I'm pleased that Wikinews is running this story. I do, however, feel that your use of the term "bias" is an exaggeration. I feel that I stated the relevant facts fairly and proportionately and I thought it might help if I outlined my reasoning on this issue.

Although a nominal "agreement" was made between the RPA and CNC, it's clear that RPA had no choice but to accept it. It therefore seems quite accurate to say, as I did, that the CNC took the station of the air.

I think that there's an issue of consistency here, and a danger of "unwitting bias" against countries like Burundi. Imagine if our own government decided to block Wikinews for two days, or take Radio 3 off the air (having originally tried to ban the media outlet indefinitely) on the basis that they believed some news coverage to have been biased. And imagine if this formed part of a consistent pattern where people linked to the outlet had been beaten up, arrested without charge and in some cases killed. I think that we'd say, as the CPJ and Reporters Sans Frontieres have often done in the case of RPA versus the Burundian government, that this was a clear violation of international norms on press freedom.

Banning a major radio station for any period of time is an extreme measure for any government to take. That for me is the real story here, and I've merely tried to report it as I would had it happened in my own country. If "bias", real or imagined, was a legitimate reason for applying such a ban then I'd venture to suggest that half of the British media and most of the internet would be facing a ban!


 * Hi there, I think this is a really good story. The NPOV edits work although I think you are right in your arguments. That first par doesn't read very clearly now, surely the ban happened before the agreement? I'd rather leave it to you both to agree something - Dan, I do think it might have become a bit 'too' NPOVd and may have put the balance too far the other way in that first section. PS Sign your posts with four tildes and then I'll know your name :) ClareWhite 13:34, 20 July 2005 (UTC)


 * Hi Clare - thanks for those comments :0). I'm glad you like the article - as far as I can see Wikinews is the first English language news website to have featured the story. Burundi does tend to get a bit neglected! I'll have a think about the first paragraph again. I had to look up what a "tilde" was (still getting the hang of the workings of wiki!) but having discovered what they are I'll endeavour to use them in future...

Cheers! RichardW 80.43.49.57 13:50, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

change to first paragraphs

 * Current first paragraphs:

"One of Burundi's only independent radio stations, Radio Publique Africain, went off-air for two days after an agreement was made with the country's National Communications Council (CNC). The CNC claimed to be unhappy with the station's coverage of Burundi's recent elections, alleging that it had been biased and that it insulted the Council.

The director of RPA said that the claims were unjust, and that the station had given every political party 20 minutes airtime a week during the elections.

The compromise ban was arrived at after mediation by a group of professional journalists and private broadcasters between RPA and the CNC."

I'd propose:

"One of Burundi's only independent radio stations, Radio Publique Africain, has been taken off air for two days. Last week the country's National Communications Council (CNC) ordered the radio station to stop broadcasting indefinitely, claiming that it had insulted them, and that coverage of recent elections had been biased.

RPA director Alexis Sinduhije said that the claims were unjust, and that the station had given every political party 20 minutes airtime a week during the elections.

But he reluctantly agreed to a two-day ban after mediation by a group of professional journalists and private broadcasters between RPA and the CNC." 80.43.49.57 06:51, 21 July 2005 (UTC)