I was amazed: I was able to sit with officials and tell them about the problems I face daily. This never could have been possible before.
The TV show - in which political and public figures answered questions from a studio audience - was part of a wider training and support programme for journalists and broadcasters.
In Tunisia, two special editions of Sa’at Hissab were produced in partnership with Tunisian Television ahead of the parliamentary elections of October 2011, the first free elections in the country's history.
In another programme shown in 2012, one Tunisian audience member, Mariam Fatnassi, asked tough questions of the government and constituent assembly representatives on the panel.
“Since it’s a difficult time for Tunisia’s economy and the government is saying the people need to adapt, why isn’t this applied to the government?” she said. “Why are the people that we elected earning millions [in their salaries] out of public funds? Aren’t you afraid that it will be said that in the same way that there are war opportunists, you are revolution opportunists?”
Her question sparked a furious debate with the panellists arguing that people working in the public sector are among the least well paid in Africa and that competitive wages were needed to combat the threat of corruption.
Public service broadcasting
As part of the project, ±«Óătv Media Action supported partner broadcasters and ran training courses for journalists in Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Iraq and Morocco.
Face-to-face training and online courses from ±«Óătv Media Action’s web-based programme, iLearn included production and technical skills, such as camera operating, set design, graphics and directing. In addition, journalists were encouraged to incorporate the views and perspectives of people usually excluded from the media.
A director at Wattaniya TV said, “We as journalists set the agenda. The media needs to provide platform for various opinions. Usually our debate programmes are focused on decision makers, not audiences. The challenge is for us to break the barrier between the state and its people and produce programmes that deal with issues closer to people’s concerns.”
±«Óătv Media Action also helped to develop professional networks by enabling journalists across the region share experiences and best practice.