Sauvees has released a statement raising alarm over the government’s MVR 27.9 million media grant scheme, arguing that despite the President’s positive intention to support the media sector, the rushed and poorly evaluated rollout risks undermining public trust.
The statement notes that the approved list includes outlets with only one or two employees, platforms with fewer than 200 followers on social media and media houses that struggle to publish even five news items daily. Sauvees says this calls into question whether the decision making process was rigorous or reflective of each outlet’s real contribution to the industry.
Sauvees highlighted that it operates with a sizable workforce, consistently produces daily news and has delivered feature reports and diverse content since 2024. However, the outlet was ruled ineligible solely because it has not completed three years of registration. Sauvees believes this requirement fails to reward active journalism and instead blocks legitimate newsrooms from receiving state support.
Meanwhile, public criticism and statements from other media organizations continue to spotlight concerns of partiality within the selection process. Many point to a major grant awarded to The Press, a platform linked to a senior official who was involved in overseeing the program. These concerns were not raised by Sauvees, but the outlet notes that such allegations further justify why a full review of the scheme is needed.
Sauvees urges the Ministry of Youth and relevant authorities to implement immediate reforms including:
• Establishing an independent committee to review and audit the current grant list
• Evaluating outlets based on employee numbers, daily content output and audience metrics
• Publishing a transparent scoring breakdown for every outlet
