The media reserve a new place – the face of the truth – ✍️ Ibrahim Shaqlawi
In light of the rapid transformations of our country, the press stands at a crossroads, which is transmitted from traditional executives established in modern journalistic work prospects, where digital content and electronic publication technologies ride new challenges imposed by social media in the public opinion industry.
This radical transformation raises fundamental questions about the future of the media, its independence and its role in our contemporary society, in particular in a country which has great political and social transformations, such as Sudan in the post-war.
Last week, a workshop amending the press law and publications for 2009 in Port Sudan was held at a very important period, because Sudan witnesses accelerated political and digital transformations. This workshop came as a first step to rehabilitate the media scene and to create the legal environment proportional to the requirements of the current step. The workshop has formed a platform to hand over the challenges and launch the foundations of a legislative reform which maintains the pace of developments, and ensures the protection of press freedom in a new complex reality.
Today, the media in Sudan, according to specialists, turn to a new location, going beyond the “fourth authority”, to fill an institutional vacuum resulting from the absence of the elected legislative authority, in the context of a transitional stage. Thus, the media – objectively – becomes a third active authority in the scene of the current Sudanese state.
This exceptional situation nevertheless maintains the responsibility of the no less important media than the roles of the official authorities. He should play the role of the censur and the question, and that it is a platform for the public sound, a source of awareness and a tool of community responsibility, in the absence of mechanisms of parliamentary and legislative surveillance. Consequently, any new law regulates the work of the media must be based on a precise understanding of this transformation and to improve the capacity of the media to do its work effectively, without neglecting professionalism or counterfeits on independence.
The continuous absence of the press on media scene in Sudan reflects a new reality governed by digital and technical transformations. Journalists have gone to rely on traditional means with recent strategies to produce varied content that combines speed, efficiency and interaction with the public via electronic platforms. This, in turn, requires the need for new legislation that adapts to the modern concept of journalistic work.
The importance of social networks is highlighted as new spaces for the exchange of information and the public opinion industry, but in return, they offer major challenges, including the loss of content control institutions, the spread of false news and the decline in confidence in traditional media following the overlap of journalists’ roles with the “press citizen” who has direct publication tools without professional reference. Consequently, the legislation on new media should take into account the requirements of digital governance, to combat hate speech and guarantee the quality and reliability of the content of the electronic media.
The legislative reform of the media sector cannot be separated from political and security contexts. The workshop underlined the need to achieve a precise balance between the protection of press freedoms on the one hand, and the requirements of national security, on the other hand, while respecting privacy and the rights of individuals. This balance requires a serious and open dialogue between government, media and society, in order to build a professional and responsible media environment; It is not subject to narrowing or scaling, and does not slip at the same time to the media or disinformation which can serve local or regional agendas which awaited the country.
The challenges faced by the Sudanese media today impose a redefinition of its role and its responsibilities, in accordance with political and social transformations. The media is no longer just a transmission of information, but rather a partner in the national construction process, an observer of the authorities and a public opinion. As Egyptian journalist said, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal: “The media is the fourth authority, and if this authority is absent, national conscience is absent.” This concept embodies the vital role of the media in the development of public awareness and contributing to the construction of the State.
Consequently, the Sudanese media should seriously assume its new responsibilities and seek to achieve a rational balance between freedom of expression and national security requirements, and between professionalism and objectivity. In the light of current circumstances, the media is a major tool to strengthen national unity by fighting rumors, by transgressing hatred speech and by transmitting the truth and helping to rebuild the Sudanese state on the basis of the reinforcement of the concepts of peace, freedoms and peaceful coexistence.
By looking at reality and what we see from the face of truth, and with the climbing of challenges, the urgent need for new media legislation promotes technical development, improves professionalism and professionalism and establishes the foundations of an independent and effective media industry. Sudan is at the threshold of a historical transformation which requires a law which is not satisfied with the form, but rather makes a fundamental difference in the media scene and is part of a more complete national project of reconstruction after the war. And between the aspirations of the people and the will of the actors, the response remains pending: do we see a law close to this ambition?
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Thursday May 29, 2025 ad shglawi55@gmail.com
