The police commissioner in Jonglei State has called on journalists to work with the police in promoting the rule of law across the country.
Major-General Elia Costa said neither party should jeopardize the work of the other.
“The work of the police is to search for information just as the media,” he underscored.
“The race for accurate information between media and police sometimes brings about friction because the police want to access the information first and journalists also want the same.”
Major-General Elia Costa made the remarks while addressing a two day media conference organized in Bor town by the Association of Media Development in South Sudan, AMDISS on Tuesday.
Journalists and right activists often face challenges in their work due to the shrinking civic space. Some journalists have been arrested while on duty – with the recent being the arrest and subsequent detention of Voice of America journalist, Diing Magot in Juba this year. She was later released.
“Let us put our efforts together to enhance our relations and work together to protect our civil population from harmful practices,” Major-General Elia Costa emphasized.
For his part, Julius Banda, the Country Director of UNESCO in South Sudan called for collaboration between journalists and government agencies in promoting civic education, peace and the rule of law.
Koang Pal Chang, the Chairperson of the Board of AMDISS urged journalists to stick to the principles of telling the truth in their programming to avoid getting into trouble with the authorities.
He emphasized on the need to abide by the code of conduct and media ethics – all instruments that exist in the country.
The media conference in Bor was organized as part of the International Day for Universal Access to Information.
