Youth Minister Ibrahim Waheed (Asward) says media outlets do not trust the Maldives Media Council and Maldives Broadcasting Commission, the organization set up to regulate them.
Speaking on PSM's Raaje Miadhu program about the newly passed 'Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill', the Minister said that journalists have highlighted that the Media Council and the Broadcasting Commission have not been able to resolve their concerns.
Noting that journalists themselves accept that these organizations have failed, Minister Asward said that the newly passed bill has incorporated the amendments called for by reporters.
He further said that the bill would merge the two institutions that oversee the media in the country and create an independent commission to oversee media affairs. He urged all to judge the commission for its work.
He added that the opposition is still taking the previous version of the bill, but the amended bill has addressed all their concerns.
The Minister also said that the bill would only apply to registered media outlets and that it would not regulate content creators and social media users.
