Over 30 journalists in Rumbek of Lakes State concluded a three-day training on the constitution-making process, gender, and conflict-sensitive reporting on Friday last week.
The training was organized by the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the Rumbek Hill View Hotel.
The caretaker Lakes State information minister William Koji Kirjok speaking at the closing ceremony, said security personnel and journalists must work together.
“The national security personnel are not enemies to journalists. We are one people, and I also made it very clear as the government that we don’t work without security, and we don’t work without media,” he stated. “When you are working professionally, guided ethically, then there are things that you are supposed to do as a journalist. What guides you is the training of this kind, and you are supposed to be given a guideline and rules that guide you.”
Julius Banda, a facilitator at the training, said the exercise is to prepare journalists for the upcoming general elections.
“We are happy to be here as UNESCO supported by the United Nations Peace Fund (UNPF) the one that we are using for particular series of training on reporting and concerning also the constitutional making process. We are doing this because South Sudan is going through a transition phase of the constitution-making process as it journeys towards general elections,” he added.
He said it is imperative as the media to prepare for the country’s transitions to remain impartial and objective.
“We don’t want tribalists. As UNESCO, we defend the freedom of expression. We are not talking about those who use it for hate purposes like to divide people along tribal lines,” Banda stated.
Julius Banda, a UNESCO Country Director, urged the journalists to implement the training in their daily work.