Accountability systems

With the issuing of Ordinance N 2010-35, a new era was born in the history of press freedom in Niger, as it protects media actors from the deprivation of their movements. Also, the decriminalisation of press offences invites journalists to become more responsible in the exercise of their profession, as they feel challenged to demonstrate their intellectual, professional and social capacities to self-discipline.

Aware of this fact, the socio-professional structures of media have decided, after a workshop on the theme "Media responsibility in the context of decriminalisation in Niger” was organised by the House of the Press and the American Cultural Center of Niamey in May 2010, to set up an internal body for the control of media work called the Observatoire Nigérien Indépendant des Médias pour l'Éthique et la Déontologie (Nigerien Independent Media Observatory for Ethics - ONIMED). This entity has been trying to ensure that journalists and media respect the rules of ethics and deontology. As a dashboard, ONIMED is based on the Code of Ethics and Ethics of Nigerien Journalists, copies of which have been distributed to all media, thanks to the support of the National Observatory for Communication (ONC).