South Sudan media forum calls for objective reporting

October 22, 2011 (JUBA) – A day long media forum in Juba called on journalists to embrace independent and objective reporting, so the media can help make newly independent South Sudan develop and become more transparent.

Speaking to the Committee to Protect Journalists last months, Oliver Modi, chairman of the Union of Journalists of Southern Sudan, said that there have been eight attacks against the press in South Sudan in 2011.

CPJ’s report says that ‘local journalists fear the former rebels turned government officials still harbor a war mentality that is unaccustomed to criticism, and that they are not prepared to extend the freedoms they fought hard to attain.’

The freedom and independence of media industry is not clearly stated in the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, which came into being on 9 July, when the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement became the ruling party of South Sudan as an independent country, having governed the region since a 2005 peace deal.

Article 24 sections (1, 2 and 3), of the Transitional Constitution, gives no specific definition of the role of media, though it allows all citizens to have an ‘uninfringeable right’ to freedom of expression, reception and dissemination of information, publication and access to the press.

The forum did not only consider press freedom but also analysed the performance of the media. The chairman of the forum was Alfred Taban, the the Editor in Chief of the Juba Monitor, which changed its name after it relocated from Khartoum, after South Sudan’s secession.

“The media should not rely on government facilities. It must try to exist and report objectively. Report the truth and stick to the truth,” Taban said.

Speaking shortly after the gathering, members of the press told Sudan Tribune that the issue of lack of clear legislation is raised at every meeting regarding the press in South Sudan. However, some journalists accused some of their colleagues of siding with the government and standing in the way of press freedom.

Human rights activists and some academics say the lack of clear legislation is hindering the development and performance of the media in South Sudan.

“Though everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression including freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers, there remains a challenge to be addressed,” Sebit Albert, a journalist for Destiny Daily English language newspaper said. He called the government to insert a provision into the constitution that would recognise the industry.

“[When] I read the Transitional Constitution I found that there is only freedom of individuals to receive and transmit information as stipulated in the Constitution of Republic of South Sudan, while the media itself, which is the key tool of transmitting such information’s independence is not stated in the Constitution,” Albert said.

Other journalists insisted the need to have an independent and liberal media so that it can execute its functions more effectively and autonomously.

John Makur, another reporter with the Daily Destiny said that establishing free press laws would need the support of the whole of South Sudanese society. It was not too late to enshrine the independence of the media industry in the constitution, he said.

However some South Sudanese say that media would have more public support if they showed more independence and demonstrated their worth to society.

Acuil Agoth Acuil, a student at Juba Bridge Private University told Sudan Tribune that he blames the media censors itself and not shown “their role in nation building.”

He said some journalists were being used as “tools by some politicians” and did not have journalistic ethics.

“NO FREEDOM IN THIS WORLD”

Atem Yaak Atem, deputy minister of information and broadcasting last week said that there is not “absolute freedom in this world” when talking about the possibility of new media legislation.

He said the journalists should avoid being used by those in power, adding that if new laws were enacted they would rationalise media operations to avert potential lawlessness in the media industry.

“There is no absolute freedom in this world, even our creator gave us the Ten Commandments to guide us,” the minister said.

(ST)