OUAGADOUGOU — The Superior Council of Communication (CSC) has directed the online media outlet faso.net to comply with regulations concerning the processing of information and the moderation of discussion forums. The directive was issued on Wednesday following a review of several articles and forums hosted by the website.

According to Burkina Information Agency, an article titled “Meeting in Support of the Transition: ‘We Do Not Want to Hear About Another President, the One We Know is Ibrahim Traoré,'” published on May 13, 2024, contained violent and hateful remarks, including a call for murder against members of identified political parties. The CSC determined that these comments constituted incitement to hatred or discrimination through the press, which is punishable under the penal code. Consequently, faso.net was ordered to remove the article immediately from all platforms.

Additionally, the CSC criticized faso.net for failing to moderate the forum of an article titled “Burkina: Citizens Express Their Expectations for the 5 Years in Office of President Ibrahim Traoré,” published on May 28, 2024. The regulatory body noted the presence of malicious and offensive comments which were not blocked by the media. The CSC has ordered faso.net to enhance its moderation system, placing it under the direct responsibility of the editorial staff.

Another article, “IB and the Solitude of Power,” published on May 28, 2024, was also flagged by the CSC. The regulator identified unverified facts in the publication, which it described as tending towards disinformation, a violation of journalistic ethics. The CSC urged the media to ensure the accuracy of facts in their commentary articles.

The CSC warned that any similar breaches or non-compliance with the directives would result in higher sanctions against faso.net. The online newspaper was formally addressed by the CSC on June 5, 2024.