By Yiep Joseph
Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) has advised its members to stick to professionalism and cease biased social media posts.
UJOSS president Oyet Patrick Charles revealed that his office has noticed incidents where journalists post biased statements on their social media pages.
Oyet made the call on Wednesday during a roundtable breakfast meeting organized by UJOSS and supported by the Norwegian People’s Aid.
His call came after reports of surge in social media misuse by some individuals, especially during periods of conflict.
“We have seen some colleagues and we have seen journalists writing on their private pages, Facebook pages, things that are not journalistic,” Oyet said.
He appreciated the journalists for their commitment toward their job and urged them to remain neutral come whatever situation, as required by the law.
“When you are doing professional work, you have to really be neutral; we should not take sides whenever there is conflict going on; we need to report facts as they are,” he appealed.
Mr. Oyet called on journalists to maintain neutrality in their reporting, particularly when dealing with conflict-related stories.
He appealed to the journalists to focus on peace reporting by highlighting stories that de-escalate conflict.
“As UJOSS, we urge journalists to remain neutral in their reporting on violence. Our writings should not promote war; instead, they should aim to reduce conflict through responsible and balanced reporting,” he said.
On his part, Oliver Mori, the chairperson of the specialized committee for information in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), called on journalists to uphold professional ethics.
“If you stick to your profession without bias, nothing will happen to you,” Mori said.
“This profession we have chosen is not an easy one; it needs you to be honest and professional,” he added.
He vowed to ensure that journalists are given freedom to exercise their duties without interference as stated in the law.
Mori advises journalists to focus on their role as well as equip themselves with the law of the country.
Recently Michael Makuei Lueth, Minister of Information, Communication Technology, and Postal Services, who also serves as the government spokesperson, warned social media users to stop spreading unverified information and hate speech, which can incite fear among the public.
“We are supposed to use our social media for peace and harmony for social coexistence, not to agitate war and encourage lawlessness and disorder. Social media users are advised to abide and respect the use of social media responsibly; otherwise, at the end of the day, you find yourself in conflict with the law,” he said.