President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has pledged to provide financial assistance from the state budget to privately-owned media.
State funding for media outlets was included in the good governance section of President Solih's re-election manifesto launched in Baa Dharavandhoo on Tuesday night. But the percentage to be allocated from the budget was not stated.
"In order to eliminate the media's dependence on [donors or sponsors] for financial capacity, a percentage of funds determined from the state budget will be allotted to media that meets certain criteria. A rating system will be determined in accordance with international standards and principles to ensure that the funds are issued through a fair and impartial mechanism," the manifesto stated.
Local press freedom organizations have previously called on the government to provide financial assistance to the media.
The manifesto also includes providing assistance to the media through the SME Bank.
Other pledges for developing the media sector:
- Resolving issues in the media registry in collaboration with media outlets in order to solve problems with media self-governance and registration processes
- Facilitating training and education opportunities for developing community-based journalism, freelance journalism and digital content creation
- Creating special content from state media for persons with disabilities
- Providing legal protection and assistance to content creators of Maldivian streaming services, podcasts and other media platforms
- Resolving issues with the media registry
