THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL CONFLICTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MALI MEDIA SYSTEM UNDER “CONTROLLED DEMOCRACY” (2013-2021)

Abstract

The author scrutinizes the main trends in Mali media system in 2013-2021 and surveys reasons of media lagging behind under controlled democracy rule. The aim of the investigation is to show specific ways of censorship in mass media and to give recommendations for curbing the harmfulness and negative impact of political and ethnic conflicts upon journalism. The author analyzes organization forms of the Mali mass media and gives the following results: media system is in a deep crisis – most of the newspapers have small circulation and tiny volume. Islamic editions grow in scope. Electronic media work under conditions of scarce media funding, TV studios use inexpensive equipment to produce their programs. The influence of the French media is serious, but Mali competitiveness is growing too, Africa 24 TV channel impact being the vivid example of contradictory situation. Some new ideas and new conclusions were put forward about the problematic points of the Mali media system, blended with political upheavals and ethnocentric conflicts, and possible ways to solve them were proposed: to liberate profession from strict censorship, to give economic state assistance to quality press etc. Methods of political economy and sociocultural investigation are used.