http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hPQy-KhEiByUr08TSesI5uRN0IHA
Although the life of some of the censorship protocol in the Sudan is always a good sign, this is a development that I will watch with consummate skepticism. Having been in a out of Sudan over the years in a professional capacity, my belief in the Sudanese to relinquish power is fairly jaded. Sudan is a country (in a region) where the ability to gather relevant and timely information is nearly impossible. It is incredibly tribal and at times petty. There is also in interplay of dynamic feelings that relate to both social-economic issues and religious matters. The ultimate question is if the journalists in Sudan understand what it means to be un-biased and to generate work that is truly newsworthy. You have to keep in mind that until this point (assuming that the government is genuine in there free press decree) the local journalist and publications have had a nice scapegoat to deal with any shortcomings. The government censor program was a nice curtain with which they could veil in impropriety or dis-information that they promoted. So as it is a nice development to pull government fingers out of the media pie, I would still be very wary of any press that comes from local journalists.
1 comment:
True like in most African countries these social,economic and political factors affect ethical journalism especially from a foreign journalist's perspective in terms of ethics. It would be easier if this kind of journalist focused on his/her goals while covering a story especially if they are writing for media in their respective countries- and stick to these countries',Journalism ethics.
If they are covering for a local media in, say,Sudan I agree it can then be a challenge.
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