MMC president fired from state media after video controversy
The controversy centres around a video shown during the event, which has stirred significant debate over journalistic standards.
Ahmed Musthafa, President of the Maldives Media Council (MMC), has been terminated from his position as Technical Operations Manager at Public Service Media (PSM).
The decision was confirmed to Atoll Times, with Musthafa’s departure reportedly taking effect Thursday.
His dismissal follows his remarks indicating that he should assume responsibility for an incident that occurred at the 11th Maldives Media Council (MMC) awards ceremony Wednesday.
The controversy centres around a video shown during the event, which portrays alleged family issues of President Mohamed Muizzu and was aired during the 2023 presidential election campaign. The PSM has alleged that the video content shown during the awards ceremony—broadcast live on PSM’s platform—was not in line with its editorial standards and depicted journalism in a light that could potentially harm the reputation of the field.
The video was aired without prior notice to PSM, prompting the organisation to issue a press release condemning the incident.
PSM’s statement claimed that the unauthorised airing of the video was a deliberate act by the MMC, aiming to tarnish the company’s image. The statement reiterated that all content aired live on PSM is expected to comply with its editorial guidelines, expressing disappointment that this standard was allegedly not met at the MMC event.
The organisation expressed frustration over the potential impact of the incident on public perception of its journalistic integrity.
