Hate speech on social media dropped during the campaign for the 1st round of the local elections, President of the Ofiya Coalition Brahim Zoghlami said at a press conference, held on Thursday in Tunis to present the findings of media and social network monitoring during the 1st round of local elections.
Decree-Law no. 2022-54 on combating offences related to information and communication systems, and in particular article 24 on hate speech, is behind the decline recorded during this elections, he explained.
Several civil society organisations have repeatedly voiced their categorical rejection of this decree-law, which they claim restricts freedom of expression and opinion.
Zoghlami indicated in this regard, that the use of social media during the 1st round of the elections had been “very low” with only 6,600 posts, compared to 46,000 posts regarding the referundum of the Constitution, held on July 2022.
11.44% of these posts include hate speech, he added, affirming that this is a “very low” rate.
Beside
s, Zoghlami called for speeding up the enactment of a low that sets the prerogatives of local councils.
Taking the floor, Ofiya Project Manager Nesrine Abidi said that the monitoring operation had revealed that the media coverage as a whole had been “very bleak,” notably in the run-up to the election campaign.
She indicated in this connection, that the Ofiya units had compiled 237 print press articles, 227 electronic press articles, 112 TV products and 1,049 audio products on the 1st round of local elections.
The monitoring operation had been conducted on 5 TV channels (Al Wataniya 1, Al Wataniya 2, Hannibal TV, Telfza TV and Attesia TV), 16 radio stations (National Radio, Radio jeune, Radio Sfax, Radio Monastir, Radio le Kef, Radio Tataouine, Radio Gafsa, Radio Jerid, Radio Nefzaoua, Mosaique FM, Jaouhara FM, Diwan FM, Express FM, IFM and Sabra FM) and 6 websites (Babnet, Business News, Hakaek online, Kapitalis, Tunisie numérique and Tuniscope), Abidi specified.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse