Sudan Media Forum: A united front against disinformation

The war that broke out in Sudan April 2023 has caused massive devastation, affecting all aspects of life in Sudan, including the media sector. All press and media institutions operating inside the country ceased operations, journalists have been displaced and lost their jobs. This interruption of professional and field news coverage has created a “media blackout” across the country, Kamal Elsadig, editor-in-chief of Radio Dabanga, told an online panel discussion organised by the Sudan offices of United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNESCO on Monday, in celebration of World Press Freedom Day, entitled The War in Sudan: What impact on media freedom?

Speaking on behalf of the Sudan Media Forum,* a coalition of independent media outlets and organisations, Elsadig laments: “The effects of the war are not limited to restricting freedom of the press. Both parties to the conflict are waging a propaganda war that has created media chaos. The respective warring parties and their agents have created dozens of websites, and fake accounts on social media platforms, to control the flow of information and spread false and misleading news, hate speech, and racism.”

‘The effects of the war are not limited to restricting freedom of the press. Both parties to the conflict are waging a propaganda war that has created media chaos…’

Sudan Media Forum

In the face of this tragic reality, independent media and press institutions in Sudan have united under the umbrella of the Sudan Media Forum to face the challenges posed by the war on press freedom and the dissemination of correct information, Elsadig says.

“As part of its commitment to collective action, the Sudan Media Forum has issued a declaration of principles and rules for journalistic coverage in wartime, which includes strict ethical commitments to ensure responsible and objective journalism during this difficult period.”

Objectives of the Sudan Media Forum:

• To collect, verify, and present information to the public in a fair, accurate, and independent manner.

• To address fake news, misinformation and hate speech.

• To disseminate the facts and promote a culture of peace and reconciliation.

• To defending freedom of the press and the right to access information.

• To develop a road map for the development of the media sector in Sudan.

‘The war has almost completely paralysed in the work of Sudan media institutions, especially those located in conflict areas’

Challenges facing the sustainability of media work.

“Since the outbreak of war in Sudan, the independent press has faced many challenges that threaten its existence and role in society. The war has led to the closure of many media institutions, the disruption of the work of journalists, and the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and war propaganda,” Elsadig says.

“The war has almost completely paralysed in the work of Sudan media institutions, especially those located in conflict areas. Journalists face great difficulty reaching the location of events, to carrying out their professional duties.”

‘Both parties to the conflict seek to silence the voice of independent journalists using threats, harassment, and accusations of subjugation and treason…’

Both parties to the conflict are waging a parallel media war, creating media rooms to broadcast war propaganda, hate speech, and misinformation, with the aim of weaponising and influencing public opinion.”

Elsadig highlights that in addition to suppressing media institutions, “both parties to the conflict seek to silence the voice of independent journalists using threats, harassment, and accusations of subjugation and treason.”

He explains that this reality imposed severe financial and logistical difficulties on independent newspapers, which has compromised their ability to publish, and in many cases, forced them to cease operations completely.

“Realising the scale of the challenges, independent news outlets in Sudan united to form the Sudan Media Forum, which has established a joint editorial platform to publish verified stories, to confront and counter the spread of misinformation and war propaganda. The forum also launched a solidarity and advocacy campaign with the hashtag #StandWithSudan, to address what has become the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe, the spectre of impending famine, and widespread human rights violations by all parties.

The forum affirms its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professional journalism, including accuracy, integrity, and independence,” Elsadig concludes.

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* Amid the ongoing conflict in Sudan, independent media faces many challenges that threaten its existence and role in society.

Independent media faces significant challenges that threaten its existence and role in society. The Sudan Media Forum appeals to the international community to provide urgent support and pressure on the parties to the war to achieve five basic demands:

1. Immediately stop the war and facilitate the access of humanitarian aid to those affected without restrictions or conditions.

2. Provide protection for male and female journalists, including foreign correspondents, so that they can perform their duties freely and safely. We also appeal to the international community to contribute to providing a First Aid Fund (IFAK) and all requirements for the First Aid protocol in combat conditions, as local media institutions lack this type of protection.

We stress the need to pressure both sides in the war to adhere to international treaties and agreements and international humanitarian law.

3. Enabling both male and female journalists to move freely and independently with their equipment and tools to provide independent press coverage.

We stress the need to enable them to access any area or location without harassment or the imposition of restrictions, censorship, or conditions.

4. We call for financial and logistical support for independent press institutions so that they can carry out their urgent, pressing, and required future work.

We emphasise that the curtailment of media and journalistic institutions inside Sudan due to the war has led to the truth being lost in a fog of war propaganda, lies, misinformation, and the spread of hate speech by both sides of the war.

5. We call for providing the necessary support to the Sudan Media Forum to enable it to activate the joint media room and conduct media campaigns so that it can fulfil its desired role towards a bright future for journalism in Sudan.

We affirm that the Sudan Media Forum contributes effectively to stopping the war, bringing peace, and building a future Sudan based on freedom, justice, and a full democratic civil state.

These demands represent the minimum international support required to ensure a free and responsible press in Sudan.

We call on the international community to assume its responsibilities and work hard to save the Sudanese press from the clutches of war, and to protect the right of the Sudanese people to access accurate and impartial information.

Source: Sudan media Forum

#StandWithSudan #WorldPressFreedomDay

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