South Sudan media regulator organizes two-day training on media freedom in Bor

BOR – South Sudan’s Media Authority organized a two-day training in the capital of Jonglei state, Bor, on Wednesday, bringing together media stakeholders, state government officials, civil society representatives, and security sector members.

The training aimed to advance press freedom and foster collective efforts to combat misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech.

At the opening ceremony, Molana Atong Majok, Chairperson of the Media Authority’s board of directors, emphasized that the training would help strengthen the relationship between state stakeholders.

“Under this theme today, fostering media freedom, regulation to combat misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech, this will just take us back to what happened in Juba two weeks ago when everyone was just running for no reason, and that goes to misinformation or disinformation that was passed,” said Atong.

She also called for greater cooperation among stakeholders in the implementation of laws in the country.

“We have our constitution that talks about freedom of expression, but we have other laws that are being implemented, like the National Security Law, the Police Act, and South Sudan People’s Defense Force. But we have to implement the Media Authority Act respecting our constitution that tells you freedom of expression is free,” Atong added.

Majok Guet Kuol, coordinator of the Union of Journalists in South Sudan (UJOSS), encouraged journalists to adhere to ethical standards in their reporting.

“As we prepare for the elections, this is the time when a lot of disinformation and misinformation circulate. It is up to us in the media and state authorities to ensure we provide accurate information that cannot cause havoc in the communities,” said Majok.

Nyamar Lony Thichot, Jonglei state’s Minister for Information, acknowledged the efforts of the Media Authority in conducting the training and emphasized that it would improve the working relationships among stakeholders.

“Together, let us work toward building a brighter future for our state through the transformative powers of information and communication technology,” Lony said.

She added, “I would like to encourage you all who have attended today to leave here with a positive message of how we can impact the lives of our people in Jonglei state and South Sudan at large.”

The two-day training was organized by the Media Authority in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights and supported by Global Affairs Canada.