Ministry Withdraws Media Grant Recipients List, Hands Oversight to Media Commission

The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts has withdrawn the recently published list of recipients of the government’s media grant, after backlash from local media outlets. 

The Ministry announced on Thursday that the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (Media Commission) will now take over responsibility for managing the grant’s regulatory process. The decision was formalised through a gazette notice, which stated that the move aims to promote transparency and impartiality in future grant allocations.

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The Ministry added that the previous grant guidelines were developed jointly by the now-dissolved Maldives Media Council and Maldives Broadcasting Commission, both of which were merged under the new Media and Broadcasting Regulation Act to form the Media Commission.

Along with rescinding the recipients’ list, the Ministry also annulled earlier announcements inviting applications for the grant.

The decision follows public criticism from several media outlets over the initial distribution of funds. News outlets described the process as opaque, alleging that inactive or minimally operational outlets had received substantial sums, while larger, active media were overlooked.

The largest share of funding—MVR 5.1 million—was awarded to Sangu TV and Sangu Online, media outlets linked to Youth, Information, and Arts Minister Ibrahim Waheed (Asward). The Press, associated with State Minister Ali Shamaan, also received MVR 1.35 million. The backlash led to widespread concern over potential conflicts of interest and the lack of clear selection criteria.

The policy to allocate 0.1 percent of the annual state budget for media support was introduced as part of President Mohamed Muizzu’s pledge to strengthen journalism in the Maldives.