South Sudan: Building understanding between security forces and media

The media sector in South Sudan has been developing quickly since the birth of the new nation in July 2011. But journalism continues to be a dangerous trade

By Brigitte Sins/IMS

No journalists have yet been charged and convicted of crimes in court cases in South Sudan. This is a marked difference from other countries where journalists are often charged under criminal or national security laws. But press freedom is still vulnerable in South Sudan due to the lack of media legislation, and because of the fear and insecurity that media practitioners feel in relation to security forces and police.

The young country’s government is in a process of building up the country and defining the common norms and values of freedom of expression. The lack of knowledge of criminal law makes journalists more vulnerable, as security officers can act at their own will and media practitioners are unaware of their rights. Simultaneously, when journalists are told to report in a positive and responsible manner, many ask themselves “according to which standards?” While international standards and code of ethics may be able to guide South Sudanese media practitioners, it may not be possible to apply them just yet in South Sudan where peace is vulnerable and the media sector is new and small.

Building mutual understanding

The importance of dialogue between media and security forces has been amplified by cases where where media and security forces lock heads, mostly in random incidents however rather than organised assaults from the part of the security forces. The importance to hold dialogues is rather defined by the need for mutual understanding for eachothers’ trade of work and developing a common norm for dealing with one another.

The most common cases of harassment or confrontation take place when journalists are in the field doing their work, for instance when they are prohibited access to specific areas or events, or after the publication of their reports when they are accused of defamation.

In cooperation with the Norwegian People’s Aid and national South Sudanese partners, IMS has been organising dialogue meetings between media and security forces in South Sudan since 2010, the latest of which took place in November 2011 in the country’s capital Juba.

During the dialogue meetings, media as well as security representatives expressed a need for practical guidelines to help establish mutual understanding and give them practical tips on how to act in situations where the media is under pressure by the authorities. This resulted in a special toolkit designed for countries emerging from conflict where laws are not fully in place yet. The toolkit should be used in the course of continuous dialogue-building between the media, authorities and security forces and includes advice on how to act in particular circumstances to avoid conflict.

An online version of the toolkit is being developed and will be available on the IMS website in near future.