Journalists call for the revision of media laws

Angolan journalists called on the government on Wednesday to "refine" outdated media laws. At a two-day workshop organised by the Journalists Union of Angola (SJA) and Panos Southern Africa, media workers and members of civil society raised concerns over the lack of clarity in a draft bill on broadcasting policy. "At the moment there is still confusion over the different tiers of broadcasting. There needs to be a clear policy framework on what constitutes public broadcasting and what is meant by 'private' and 'community' broadcasting. There is also no provision in the current law for the existence of community radio stations," SJA representative Antonio Simbo told IRIN. The question of local content in broadcasting was also a highlighted at the workshop. "Journalists are concerned that there isn't enough on air in indigenous languages. Programmes are also being produced in Portuguese, which means that there is very little local content production," Simba said. Media groups also called for the establishment of an independent regulatory commission to oversee formulation of a national broadcast strategy. Angola's media is predominantly state-controlled: the only news agency, Angop, is government-owned and carries scant criticism of the authorities. The few independent media outlets have been harassed and threatened, but several independent newspapers and private radio stations have recently grown increasingly bold in criticising the government. "Angolan journalists are well aware of the challenges they face and realise that they have just emerged from civil war. So, while they are clamouring for greater freedom of expression, they also recognise that it takes time before significant changes are witnessed," Panos regional director, Flackson Banda, told IRIN.