FRANCE/IVORY COAST: RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONAL CRITICISED FOR ITS BIASED REPORTING AND MINIMAL AFRICAN STAFF, AS MOST OF RFI LISTENERS LIVE IN AFRICA

Record ID: 182375

  • Title: FRANCE/IVORY COAST: RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONAL CRITICISED FOR ITS BIASED REPORTING AND MINIMAL AFRICAN STAFF, AS MOST OF RFI LISTENERS LIVE IN AFRICA
  • Date: 13th June 2003
  • Summary: CLAUDE SIAR DANCES TO AN AFRICAN BEAT LADY DANCING TO THE MUSIC MAN TALKING ON TELEPHONE AT THE RFI OFFICE VARIOUS OF ALAIN LE GOUGEC CONSULTING A COLLEAGUE ALAIN LE GOUGEC ENTERING DATA IN A BOOK ALAIN LE GOUGEC PATS A COLLEAGUE ON THE BACK
  • Embargoed: 28th June 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONAL PARIS, FRANCE, OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO, ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
  • City:
  • Country: Cote d'Ivoire France
  • Topics: Communications,Entertainment,Politics,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA5ZY7CIN9WMZLWUBBLKHWB5YJY
  • Story Text: Though Radio France International is largely criticised for its minimal African staff and 'biased' reporting, 'Tropical Colours' an African music show, is proving to be quite popular within the continent.
    This is the nerve centre of French radio, right in the heart an up-market Paris area. All of France's main government-funded radio stations are based in this building.
    Since 1975, African listeners have become familiar with one of them in particular: Radio France Internationale, popularly known as RFI.
    Most of RFI's 45 million listeners live in Africa. The African continent has its own special place, a dedicated newsroom complete with thirty-five journalists.
    But the radio station has often been seen as an instrument for spreading the French language around the world. The fact that only a few Africans work in a newsroom dedicated to African news is also criticised.
    "Three out of every five journalists here are French.
    There are some historical reasons, and it's also a matter of training. We have very high standards. But more and more African journalists are getting good training in Africa and in France, so we should reach some balance soon." explains the editor-in-chief Africa Service, Alain Le Gougec.
    Here the team is preparing the day's bulletins. The journalists aren't only striving for balanced and accurate reports. They also try to fight the accusation that their broadcasts are just French propaganda aimed at Africa.
    "We are not an annex of the Ministry of Foreign affairs or intelligence services. I don't know the private life of my colleagues, and may be I'll discover that some of us are undercover agents, people with double lives, I don't know. No, this is just pure fantasy, we are independent journalists."
    Clarifies Alain Le Gougec.
    The station relies heavily on correspondents all over the African continent. Alpha Barry is based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. He covers anything newsworthy: from sports to politics to cultural life.
    His reports on RFI have made him a celebrity: "I can't afford to skip traffic lights, because the policeman will say, oh, it's you, Alpha Barry, and you're skipping the traffic light. So it can be very embarrassing.
    And there are many situations like that. The fact that everybody knows me can my life easier, but it puts me under a lot of pressure as well." says the RFI correspondent.
    Today, Alpha's assignment is to cover a conference of female parliamentarians.
    He goes out into the streets to find interesting people to interview.
    Back at his desk, he talks to head-office, and prepares to file his story by telephone.
    In Paris, the technicians record his piece. They have to check the sound quality and make sure that the piece is not too long. The story focuses on the women's stance on the conflicts in Ivory Coast and in Iraq.
    "We consider him as one of our best correspondents. He is very sharp, and knows his country very well. He's got good ethics as well. He's a really nice guy," says Alain Le Gougec.
    The next day, these listeners in Ouagadougou are able to follow Alpha's story on RFI's lunchtime bulletin.
    But in neighbouring Ivory Coast, RFI's coverage of the war has sparked fierce controversy.
    These Ivorians are gathered here in Abidjan to discuss politics. Most of them are pro-government. And they feel that RFI's coverage favours the rebels.
    "Oh, radio crap international. Yes, yes, I know them."
    says Appollos Kouogo.
    Question: "And what do you think about them?"
    Well, it's a radio with good logistics. But they are not objective in their reporting, they are not honest."
    "RFI does not give fair information. What they do is to fuel passions and fire in Ivory Coast, instead of giving balanced reports." expresses Clement Nado.
    Virginie Gomez, is a freelance correspondent for RFI.
    During anti-French demonstrations in Abidjan, she was harassed several times by angry rioters. She says that people here associate the foreign press in general with French radio.
    "I was told that some cameramen, were being harassed, people called them RFI agents. These are TV people. So there's a love-hate relationship with RFI, people listen to it all the time, so the station is overexposed here." She said "They say, if you go to the rebel side, then you are making them a legitimate movement, and they have no legitimacy. No, this is a political point of view. As journalists, we have to go and see for ourselves, and that's what we did. We got a lot of criticism and problems because of that." Adds Alain Le Gougec.
    "I love going to the studio at the last minute." Jokes RFI Presenter Claude Siar However, Couleurs Tropicales or Tropical Colours is one show that doesn't spark any controversy. Presenter Claude Siar is one of RFI's best-known celebrities. African music stars scramble to get on his show.
    "When Claude calls us, there is no hesitation, because his show is very popular, and we can sell more albums." says one musician - Yondo Sister "With this show, I actually reinforce my own African-ness.
    So many things happened on this continent. Western colonisation, slavery and bad political systems. So people need to hear positive things about Africa, Africa as a winner." expresses Claude Siar.
    Through music, culture, and a broad coverage of African news, RFI has contributed in bringing Africa together.
    But now the station is involved in a new crusade: it's embarking on an international television project, with a clear objective: curbing American influence around the world.
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