Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC) has initiated a consultation process to gather feedback and suggestions from private media outlets regarding the policy for distributing state financial aid.
This move follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Art and the MMBC, which officially transfers the responsibility of managing and distributing these funds to the commission.
The Ministry emphasized that the MoU aims to establish a fair, transparent, and equitable system for allocating the specific percentage of the state budget designated for journalism under the existing legal framework.
Under this new arrangement, the MMBC will identify the eligible private media organizations and determine the specific funding amounts, which will then be disbursed through the Ministry of Finance.
In an announcement, MMBC invited media houses to submit their views on revising the current policy, originally drafted by the Youth Ministry, via email by 10:00 AM this coming Sunday.
Additionally, a consultative meeting has been scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 PM to discuss proposed changes directly with industry stakeholders.
The decision to involve the Media Commission comes after significant public and industry backlash regarding the Youth Ministry's initial plan to distribute MVR 27.9 million among 18 media outlets. Complaints reached President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, with critics pointing to a lack of fair criteria and potential conflicts of interest in the original list.
In response, the President’s Office directed the Ministry to cancel its previous decision and hand the process over to the independent commission in October. This collaborative effort to finalize a revised policy is being expedited, as the President’s Office has requested that the financial aid be disbursed to media outlets before the end of this month.
