Parliament Appraises IMC
The Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Information and Communication on Wednesday 9th June 2010 paid an appraisal visit to the Independent Media Commission’s headquarters at 54 Siaka Stevens Street Freetown.
The Chairman of the Oversight Committee, Hon. Ibrahim Sorie told IMC Commissioners that the purpose of their visit was in fulfillment of good parliamentary oversight consistent with best practices and to familiarize themselves with the functions of the IMC in practical terms as a regulator of mass media in Sierra Leone.
The Acting Chairman of the IMC Commissioner, Francis I. Davies, in welcoming the delegation, affirmed that the visit was both pertinent and timely, as there were fundamental issues to be addressed, such as a review of certain portions of the IMC Act 2000 as amended in 2006/2007, the roles of IMC and NATCOM in media regulation, the enforcement of punitive action against defaulters of the Media Code of Practice, proper accommodation for IMC offices and decentralization, just to name a few.
The Oversight Committee discussed a number of issues with the Commissioners including the moral responsibilities of media practitioners, the need for media coverage of the activities of regional and sub-regional agencies such as ECOWAS, etc. the limited access to media services in certain rural communities country-wide, the status and sustainability of community radios, the scope of the Regulatory Powers of IMC in the face of rapid development in the ICT arena and the disbursement of Government Subventions. They also sought information on several other related issues.
At the end of the discussions, the Chairman of the Oversight Committee Hon. Ibrahim Sorie described the deliberations as being fruitful and clearly demonstrated the need for such engagement on a regular basis. He thanked all the Commissioners present and wished the IMC well.
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