The High Council for Communication (''Le Conseil Supérieur de la Communication'', CSC) of the West African state of

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesPresidency of the Republic of Niger: Conseil supérieur de la communication
. Retrieved 2009-02-23

1960-1993

Under the First Republic, the Military government of 1974-1989, and the transitional military led Second Republic, there was no press in Niger outside government sources. Consequently, there were no regulatory bodies prior to the press liberalisation which began in 1991-1993.SEMINAIRE-ATELIER DE FORMATION ET DE SENSIBILISATION "Mission de service public dans les entreprises de presse d’Etat et privée"
Historical introduction to Press Laws, in conference proceedings, Organised by FIJ/SAINFO/LO-TCO CCOG. NIAMEY (June 2002).

Third Republic

The CSC was established under the Third Republic, and first began operations in 1994. Its first remit was to provide broadcast licenses for private electronic media, granting its first radio broadcast license to a local affiliate of Radio France International in February of that year. Under the Third Republic, the CSC oversaw the first legalisation of a free press in Niger's history and the creation of dozens of independent newspapers and radio stations. Legalisation of these was established by the a 30 March Ordnance by the new government (''Ordonnance 93-29 du 30 mars 1993, JORN spécial n° 12 du 25 juin 1993'').L’empouvoirement citoyen pour la bonne gouvernance à travers la radio communautaire en Afrique de l’Ouest
. Chapitre 18. Notes sur le cadre législatif et reglementaire au Niger. Oumar Seck Ndiaye. Fro
L’empouvoirement citoyen pour la bonne gouvernance à travers la radio communautaire en Afrique de l’Ouest: Cadres législatifs et réglementaires
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters -- Africa (AMARC-Afrique). No date. Retrieved 2009-02-23 On 30 November 1993, authority to regulate and promote low power local radio was hived off to the authority of another committee, the ''Comité paritaire de pilotage des radios de proximité (CPRP)'' According to the 1993 laws, all radio frequencies are owned by the government. In 2007 regulations were updated in the same vein. This differentiates commercial from low power community radio, and places the CSC in charge of both. CSC regulations from 2007 includes licensing which bans all purely political or confessional broadcasters.

Military rule and Fourth Republic

Following the Coup d'état of 1996, free press was again suspended. With the brief creation of the Fourth Republic, the CSC was formally abolished by ''Law N° 97-26 of 18 July 1997'' and direct oversight of limited media was confirmed in ''Law N° 98-23 of 11 August 1998''.

Fifth Republic

Under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic (1999), the CSC is tasked as an authority "independent of political power" which is to guarantee equal access to the media by all political forces as well as liberty of the press. Its composition structure and powers, though, are constitutionally dependent upon current law. In 2006, the government adopted its most recent law on the CSC's power and structure (''loi n° 2006-24 du 24 juillet 2006''). This law mandates that the functioning of the CSC is dependent upon the decrees of the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

, which in turn is at the approval of the

President of Niger This is a list of heads of state of Niger since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of ten people have served as head of state of Niger. The current head of state of Niger is the President of the Re ...

. As such its internal operations now falls under the Ministry of Communication. Between the Coup d'état of 1999 and the creation of the constitution, the CSC was replaced with another agency, the ''Observatoire nationale de la communication''. This organisation was criticised by journalists as being to close to political leaders.Niger : Conseil de presse. Les journalistes refusent la mise sous tutelle
. Ousseini Issa. Médi@ctions n°37, Institut PANOS Afrique de l’Ouest. March 2004. Following the 26 June declaring of emergency rule by President

Tandja Mamadou Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a Nigerien politician who was President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD) from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully ran as the MNSD ...

, the CSC closed indefinitely

Dounia TV Dounia TV (Radio Télévision Dounia) is a private press organisation based in the Nigerien capital of Niamey. It broadcasts news and entertainment programing in the Niamey area with repeaters in several provinces. One of the few private broadcaste ...

, an independent TV and radio network close to the opposition. On 1 July, a press NGO statement claimed that six of the eleven CSC board members had signed a protest letter over both the closing, and the way in which the decision was taken. They claimed the board members were not consulted, but the sanction was simply taken by the chair without knowledge of the board.

Membership

The constitutional makeup of the body is limited to a mandate that it be "independent". Under the Third Republic, the President of the Republic, the Speaker of the National Assembly and the President of the Supreme Court each appointed one of the CSC’s seven members. The four remaining members, all accredited journalists, were appointed by the private sector (1) and "the most representative organizations" in the public sector (3).Un géant pris au piège de son gigantisme
, Mame Less Camara. ''English Translation''. Interadio Vol 8 No 1. The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters -- Africa (AMARC-Afrique) Retrieved 2009-02-23 In 2006 there were 12 appointed members, all but one government appointees.Attacks on the press: Niger 2006
. Committee to Protect Journalists (2007). Retrieved 2009-02-23 Its current president, appointed in 2007, is

Daouda Diallo Daouda is a given name. Notable people with the name include: ;Surname * Abdou Daouda, member of the National Assembly of Niger and government Minister * Kamilou Daouda (born 1987), Nigerien footballer *Kassaly Daouda (born 1983), Nigerien football ...

. From 2003 to 2007, the CSC president was former state radio broadcaster Mariama Keita, the first woman to hold the post.

Independence

Both the independence and scope of powers of the CSC has been questioned by domestic and foreign observers. The

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...

has flatly stated that in 2006 "Authorities also used the state-controlled High Council on Communications, known by its French acronym, CSC, to censor the press." As long ago as 1992, journalist groups have called for the press to be governed by press bodies. In 1997, the CSC helped found the "Council of the Press" (''Conseil de presse'') as a professional accrediting body. In 2007, the Council created a statue of professional journalism, which the CSC is to use to govern press conduct, and which supeceds a code created by journalist organisations in 1997. Press organisations, such as the ''Union des journalistes privés nigériens (Ujpn)'', the ''Syndicat des agents de l’information (Sainfo)'' and the ''Association nigérienne des éditeurs de la presse indépendante (Anepi)'' criticise the Council as too dependent upon the CSC and the government.

Powers

The CSC is the only body legally allowed to close media outlets, establish bans on reporting, and license television, radio, and newspaper reporting. It also oversees and disburses government funding for private media, through its "press assistance fund". It distributes

press pass A press pass (alternatively referred to as a press card or a journalist pass) grants some type of special privilege to journalists. Some cards have recognized legal status; others merely indicate that the bearer is a practicing journalist. The na ...

es and accredits journalists.Réseau des Journalistes pour les Droits de l’Homme (RJDH-NIGER)
. Retrieved 2009-02-23. It functioning under the Third Republic was questioned, due to a perceived lack of resources. Journalists observing the CSC contrasted the vast, if vague scope of the CSC's powers, with its lack of personnel and funding, rendering it "unable to exercise its numerous powers", and charging that this served the interest of political control of the media. Under the Fifth Republic it further is responsible for creating a professional committee of journalism in Niger, which in turn creates the "Charter of Professional Journalists of Niger" (''Charte des Journalistes professionnels du Niger''). This is the code which the CSC then uses to oversee and sanction the professional behaviour of journalists. The CSC is the only government agency with the legal power to close radio stations, and it may do so only after receiving a complaint. Despite this, as recently as 2005 the government have closed radio outlets without recourse to the CSC. In this case, a private radio station publicised protests to tax increases, and although initial police closures were overturned, the CSC ordered the station to refrain from broadcasting political news, sports coverage, or commercials. Since the beginning of the Tuareg insurgency in the north, the CSC has closed a number of outlets, and pronounced blanket bans on coverage of certain topics in the media, and of reporting from the northern part of the nation.Niger: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2007
. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State. March 11, 2008 Specific stations have been suspended for the content of their coverage, the topics discussed in on air debates, or simply for reporting on the conflict in the north.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

has complained that these measures are in violation of Niger's commitments to International Law. In 2008, the CSC closed broadcaster

Radio and Television Dounia Dounia TV (Radio Télévision Dounia) is a private press organisation based in the Nigerien capital of Niamey. It broadcasts news and entertainment programing in the Niamey area with repeaters in several provinces. One of the few private broadcaste ...

for "not respecting the terms of reference": according to the

, this was a reference to the broadcaster's coverage of the ongoing split in the ruling

MNSD-Nassara The National Movement for the Development of Society (french: Mouvement National pour la Société du Développement, MNSD-Nassara) is a political party in Niger. Founded under the military government of the 1974–1990 period, it was the ruling ...

, where supporters of former chair

Hama Amadou Hama Amadou (born 1949) is a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007. He was also Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD-Nassara) from 1991 to 200 ...

are in a power struggle with President

Mamadou Tandja Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a Nigerien politician who was President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD) from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully ran as the MNS ...

. The

International Federation of Journalists The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries. The IFJ is an associate ...

has declared that in this case "The High Council of Communication should play its role of regulating the media in the country but it should follow proper procedures... The CSC has not justified its ban on this network and its action is confused, unclear and dangerous for media freedom." The IFJ also reported that the CSC has been threatening to ban all the private newspapers whose directors don’t have a CSC issued press card. Amidst the 2009 constitutional crisis, President Tandja decreed on 8 July 2009 that the President of the Council could "take any restraining measures without warning" against a media outlet that "publishes an article or broadcasts information that endangers state security or public order"; he would no longer need the approval of other members of the Council to take such actions."Niger's president stiffens controls on media"
AFP, 8 July 2009.

References

{{Reflist
Niger communications body urges media professionalism
PANA Press. 2009-02-19. Journalism organizations Government of Niger Organizations established in 1994 1994 establishments in Africa