An emergency cabinet meeting in Guinea-Bissau dismissed the heads of state television and radio after their stations failed to cover the opening of parliament by President Joao Bernardo “Nino” Vieira. A cabinet statement issued late yesterday described the omission as unacceptable and recommended that the information minister restructure the two organisations to make them more effective.
Francisco Ndecky, head of the Television Workers’ Union (TGB), said the decision was rash, given that the government had never addressed poor working conditions at the station which has only one editing machine and one vehicle. He urged the government to appoint a commission to investigate problems in state media before taking action. Francelino Cunha, dismissed as head of state television, was appointed only three months ago.
(Source: Reuters/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)