Is the Tunisian Media Reliable?

By Eymen Gamha

Achourouk (The Sunrise), a popular newspaper, related on July 26th, that two bearded men assaulted a young woman  in Hammam Lif, a southern suburb of Tunis.

The same article relates that the two men approached the woman and deliberately attacked her with a razor blade in her face and chest because she was unveiled.

But the same newspaper recognizes on Saturday, July 30th that this aggression never happened.

Also on March 23rd, Business News, a well known Tunisian electronic newspaper, reported that of group of artists were attacked by what they called “Islamists”, because they posted photos in La Goulette (a northern suburb of Tunis) which were supposed to be banned by the religion. Three days later, Shems FM, asked the artists about the incident and they refuted that this attack ever happened.

These refuted articles are among many others. Therefore, the following two questions might come to people’s minds: Is the Tunisian media reliable? And why do newspapers spread rumors? Is it done on purpose or because of a lack of professionalism?

It’s good to remind readers that some newspapers were under the control of the old regime and others were under its pressure. So they were accustomed to publishing false information for the benefit of the regime. After the revolution things should be changing as the media reflects the current situation of the country.

It seems that there is much work that should be done to better the state of Tunisian journalism.