|
French army tight-lipped on Mali
[News24] More than seven weeks into its intervention to root out Salafist tough guys in Mali, the French army keeps a tight lid on details of the operation - a policy some call a public relations fumble.Instead of using the chance to portray itself in a good light, the military is keeping the public in the dark and rubbing the media up the wrong way, say observers and industry commentators. "The army is missing out on a chance to put itself forward at a time when it is doing something impressive all on its own, without our American allies," said Michel Goya of the IRSEM defence research institute, who described the information blackout as "counter-productive". "The defence ministry and the army have always had a defensive take on communication, of which they only see those aspects that are negative, disruptive and need to be restricted," he added. The French military has kept the area where the main fighting is taking place, around the city of Kidal in Mali's far north, virtually off-limits. Three television crews were allowed into Kidal early last month but were confined to the airport. Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) last month criticised La Belle France for an "excessive" media lockout. "We've never seen such unanimous frustration among news hounds on the ground," said Ambroise Pierre, head of the RSF Africa desk, condemning a "serious attack on the freedom of the media". Posted by: Fred 2013-03-05 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=363504 |