The Maldives Media Council (MMC) has appointed new members to fill 10 vacancies in the 15-member body. This council, elected by the Maldives media, is tasked with preserving, promoting, and maintaining press freedom within the legal framework.
The 10 vacancies included seven members from the media sector and three representing the general public. Notably, the election for these seats was uncontested.
The newly elected media representatives are from Aafathis, Vaguthu, Hathaavees, Mihaaru, Dhiyares, hafsy.com, and Thiladhun. Members elected to represent the public include Fathimath Fahmy, Ibrahim Fauzy, and Ibrahim Mohamed.
According to the MMC Act, journalists from media outlets, regardless of their publication frequency, are eligible to vote in the election. Journalists and media personnel across 139 media outlets, including television, radio, online newspapers, and magazines, participated in the election, according to the MMC.
The law does not require the seven members elected from the general public to have a background in the media. The council members serve a two-year term.
In addition to its mandate to work with the media to preserve and promote press freedom, the council hosts annual journalism awards. Unlike other countries that have a single media regulatory institution, the Maldives has two bodies with this responsibility.
Besides the MMC, the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) regulates broadcasters. Despite substantial state expenditure on these regulators, there is growing concern over the enforcement of the relevant laws and their efforts to ensure media outlets adhere to ethical reporting guidelines.
To streamline media regulation, the government proposed a bill to the People's Majlis to merge the two bodies into a new Media and Broadcasting Commission. However, the bill faced backlash and concerns, leading the government to retract it.