The culture of fear in Sudan, brought about as a result of government control, has led to self-censorship which further damages the profession of journalism and media freedom. Journalists who remain in Sudan face the decision of whether to operate under the radar and toe the line, or to confront some of the controversial issues facing the country and risk the consequences.Unsurprisingly many choose to self-censor to avoid any risk of confrontation, meaning that the profession suffers and the media in Sudan continue to flounder.“People are only there working for the government – no one is out in the field and there is no professionalism,” said Abdul.“Sudan needs real, free newspapers which are able to employ real journalists and not just friends and family,” he added.The security services, while contributing to the culture of fear, have also played a major role in undermining the profession as a whole. Security officials regularly seize copies of newspapers after they have been published, causing significant losses to the papers and often forcing their closure. With the threat of imminent closure at any given moment, newspapers are fully discouraged from carrying quality journalism, and instead do what they can to ensure they stay in business.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 12:05:21 +0000
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