The media regulatory body in Burkina Faso has chided France24 news channel and threatened to shut it down for ”not respecting the principles of ethical journalism”.The Superior Council of Communication (CSC) has issued a formal notice to the French television channel, enjoining it to “respect the principles of ethics, in particular the respect of accuracy and truth of facts.”

 The regulatory body reproached the news channel over its treatment of information relating to the abduction of some sixty women in mid-January in Arbinda, in the north of the country.

 France24 had indicated in a scrolling strip that the women were abducted by Islamist rebels, citing the transitional government as the source, while the government had attributed it to “armed terrorist groups” in a statement.

 The CSC noted “poor treatment of the information” by France24 to a “false qualification” of the kidnappers and an “erroneous source.”

 At the end of January 2023, the correspondent of the French channel had been summoned to answer for the same facts.

 For the media regulatory body in Burkina, the French TV station’s characterisation of the kidnappers as Islamist rebels gives what it called a “serious character” to the perpetrators of the kidnapping of the women in Arbinda and may “further weaken the peaceful coexistence of religions and compromise” the efforts of the authorities.

The CSC threatened to suspend France24 in the event of a similar breach.

 In early December 2022, the government suspended Radio France Internationale (RFI) a notice to end its presence in the country. 

It accused the French media of committing a serious breach and of spreading misleading information.