Seminar

Seminar: press and referendum

Paper: media coverage for the referendum process, moral press and control.

Presenter: Makki Elmaghribi

Date: 14/4/2010

Professional controls and Professional Media

Introduction:

Press in Sudan stared as national press and it has developed, progressed and matured faster than the political parties themselves. Even the press union was old. The Sudanese general press union was formed in 1964. It is already known that the tread union movements were older than the political parties.

In spite of these bright points in the history of the press movement, we shall judge our current pres and not it’s bright history because the change of political systems from unitary to democracy has been taking place quite often. The national movement has also witnessed a lot of divisions a thing that was also reflected in the performance of the press of other media. This has its heavy impact on the way press has handled the national issues.

The phenomena of the press politicization:

There is a big difference between political press and politicized press/media. The process of extracting independent license under companies or separate entities does not specifically serving the interest of political parties. In general there are political and ideological tendencies to govern the press and media coverage

The Impact of the Market on this Phenomenon:

The impact of politicization on the performance of the press reduces its objectivity and impartiality. Press market has grow rapidly over the last two decades has reduced the impact of the phenomena, by reflecting all ideas in one folder.

Election media coverage and its impact on referendum:

The general union for press has conducted a workshop in Burg Elfateh in Feb 2010 regarding developing a code of conduct for the press profession while doing the coverage work for the elections. It was mad sure that all press offices attend the workshop represented by the head of news and political sections.

To preserve their dignity, the journalist has to:

1. 1.Avoid participation in public processions.
2. 2.Avoid election support activities.

Ethical Press:

An international initiative started in Europe after the drawings against Prophet Mohammed a time when the international awareness stood against freedom of expressions. This awareness has called upon ethical journalism by unions and federations of journalism based on moral and ethical journalism in addition to legal constrains and obligations.

In Sudan and response ethical journalism there emerged the declaration of honor of journalism trigged by law of general union of journalist 2009.

Journalists honor document and referendum:

The document came out of transitional constitution of 2005. Some of articles highlighted issues related to national unity:

1. 1.Voting of Southern Sudanese people is the constitutional rights. And the two partners have to obligate to work for unity as constitutional process.
2. 2.Likely of the press for the secession option does not give him a right to invite voters upon it officially, but he can highlights the people of Southern Sudan views in unity or secession officially without intolerance.
3. 3.There is space to criticize the partner if a disclaimer on their commitments to support the constitutional issue of unity.
4. 4.There is space for promotion of unity in general as being abstract in the text of the constitution.
5. 5.There is space to promotion for referendum as original constitutional right.

Reality and Example:

These redirects of the constitutional assembly did not define the framework for professional performance of the press adequately. And the news papers proclaim for secession and some of them call for postponed, many news paper intolerance in its ruling on one of two partners because of just bias.

The press ignored the basic issue – referendum and its process.

Recommendations:

1. 1.Invite press union to bring editor to write a code of conduct in coverage the referendum
2. 2.Direct and early cohesion between media of the referendum commission and the newspaper and journalist through forums.
3. 3.Specify an obligate spaces in the newspapers to publication the technique of the referendum that will be in coordinate with referendum commission.
4. 4.Organize evaluating workshop involving journalists from six countries had exercised referendum like Canada, Ethiopia, etc. in addition of international union of