Africa-Press – Cape verde. PAICV congressman Hipólito Barreto expressed concern today in Praia about the prolonged lack of news coverage by Cape Verde Television (TCV) in São Nicolau, and denounced the precarious employment conditions experienced by professionals.
“São Nicolau is also Cape Verde. The media is one of the pillars of democracy. When citizens neither receive nor can provide information, they don’t know how the country is being run nor how public resources are being spent. The full exercise of democracy falls far short of what is desired,” he criticized, attributing responsibility to the “poor policies of the current administration.”
In a press conference, the congressman emphasized that the only journalist assigned to the island was “fired while fully pregnant, without public clarification from the competent authorities,” an act he considers ethically questionable and raises doubts about the criteria adopted.
“Since then, the island has been without a correspondent responsible for television and telephone coverage (…) The island no longer has a regular presence on national news programs, despite carrying out various social, cultural, economic, political, and institutional activities that have no national visibility,” he emphasized.
In the municipality of Ribeira Brava, Hipólito Barreto warned, the situation is “even more serious,” since “there hasn’t been a correspondent for about five months.”
According to him, this situation fuels a “feeling of exclusion and discrimination” among the local population.
The parliamentarian also denounced the “terrible working conditions” faced by professionals, stating that many provide services without being registered with the INPS (National Institute of Social Security), without subsidies, without social rights, and with precarious contracts.
He added that the RTC office in Ribeira Brava “is locked and locked, without explanation,” while in Tarrafal, there is no dedicated space and journalists have no transportation or subsidies to travel for information, being “at the mercy of a ride.”
“Journalists can’t just sit on the couch and wait. They have to chase information. How can they do that without financial and material resources? The government, this way, makes any professional sick,” he said.
Hipólito Barreto also praised the exemplary work of the dismissed journalist and the Radio de Cabo Verde (RCV) correspondent in the municipality of Tarrafal, who over the past four years “has performed his duties with dedication and professionalism, elevating the name of São Nicolau beyond borders.”
He questioned why the RCV correspondent wouldn’t also be handling the television component, given his “deep” knowledge of the island’s reality and the “competence” he has already demonstrated.
“The people of São Nicolau want to feel represented and included in the national media space. Many question whether São Nicolau is still part of this country,” he warned.
Faced with this situation, Hipólito Barreto demanded a government position and “urgent” measures to restore TCV’s television coverage in São Nicolau and appoint correspondents for television and Rádio Nacional in Ribeira Brava.
The parliamentarian also denounced the lack of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) signal in several locations on the island, considering this a violation of the constitutional right to information.
“São Nicolau is also Cape Verde. Social communication is one of the pillars of democracy. When citizens neither receive nor can provide information, they don’t know how the country is being run nor how public resources are being spent. The full exercise of democracy falls far short of what is desired,” he criticized, attributing the blame to the “poor policies of the current administration.”
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