Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Presidential Press Secretary says the office is yet to vet the names of journalists to be ascribed to cover the President’s activities.
Lily Adhieu Martin has confirmed that they have received names from the heads of independent media houses, and names are under review.
This development comes after Eye Radio’s Station Manager repeated calls to the Press Secretary, urging them to allow credible national journalists to have access to the office of the President.
Koang Pal Chang, pointed out that currently, only the state-owned TV SSBC has access to the office of the President.
He urged the presidential press secretary to grant independent media houses access to the presidential office.
Koang stated that this is in the public’s interest to have access to accurate and timely information.
“I call on Honorable Lily that the media want you to fulfil your promise you made early this year to allow creditable journalists and media houses to have access to J1,” Koang said during the Media Stakeholders’ Forum in Juba.
“South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) should not be the only source of information that is coming from the office of the President other media houses need also to be granted access to J1 which is about the right to access to information,” he said.
For her part, the Press Secretary in the office of the President, confirmed they have received names of journalists from media houses, and are yet to be vetted.
Lily Adhieu Martin stated the President’s office seeks to have credible journalists attached to the office.
“I had called the head of media houses and I told them to provide names for the journalist that will be attached to J1 this is the office of the President, so they can have access to information and this will be our contact person,” Hon. Lily said during the Media Stakeholders’ Forum in Juba.
In Washington, you see there are people who are attached to the White House press office, and this is what we want to achieve…
“The names have been sent, but of course, they have to go through a vetting process whereby they have to be cleared in order to have access because these are the people who will be having access anytime there’s a function,” she said.
“We can call them and sometimes we have to travel and we need independent media,” she added.
South Sudanese journalists and media personnel have faced challenges in accessing the Presidential palace, J1, and conducting interviews with the President since the country’s independence.
Media houses have sent several letters requesting interviews with the head of state, but their efforts have never yielded results thus far.
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