By Gladys Fred Kole
Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) has urged media houses to exercise professionalism, especially at this critical time of election era.
AMDISS Executive Director, Irene Ayaa said media houses need to be able to give people the kind of factual information that citizens need.
She was speaking yesterday at an event marking the celebration of World Radio Day in Juba.
The day was celebrated under the theme, “Setting the agenda, shaping public opinion, and inspiring voters in South Sudan.”
“For us to play a key role in informing the people during the election period, we really need to be strong enough to provide information that the people need. Above all, we need to build trust with our people; that’s the essence of media,” Ayaa said.
She emphasized that this year, the media should organize and prepare itself for election coverage, adding that people need to be educated, informed, and entertained using the radio at this phase.
“In times of election, the voters rely so much on the media; whatever they do, the decisions they make, and everything else, they have a lot of hope in the media.” She explained.
AMDISS’s Director also called for positive competition among the many radio stations across that country, especially within this year of elections.
“And as a journalist, to get listeners, you need to be trustworthy. One thing in the media is trust; if people trust you, they will listen to your radio station. If people don’t trust your radio, they will not listen to it except maybe for music purposes,” she lamented.
Ayaa reiterated that the media in the country is not a field for competition but rather for working together for the sake of peace and nation-building since the country is still developing.
“As you all know, and I want to emphasize that media is the fourth estate of the government, we have the executive, judiciary, and legislature, and media becomes the fourth and more powerful than the three,” Ayaa underscored.
Meanwhile, Joyce Maker, NPA media specialist, acknowledged the tremendous job radio has rendered to the people, especially at the grass-roots level, in order to stay connected.
“Radio not only delivers information; it is also for entertainment purposes, and it does provide important diplomatic discourse among ourselves.” Joyce said.
She urged the media houses that operate within Juba to expand their frequencies and coverage beyond Juba so that everyone is connected.
“The radio has sustained its usage over time; we know now we are going into the digital era, but it’s good to acknowledge the fact that radio is one of the cheapest and most viable ways you can interact with each other and stay connected,” she underscored.
Joyce stated that no matter how advanced technology becomes, it will be safe for her to argue that radio is an irreplaceable medium, especially during times of natural, man-made disasters, saying it serves as a means to stay connected.