By Matik Kueth
The President of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS), Oyet Patrick, has painted a grim picture of media freedom in the country, warning that lack of access to information has effectively “grounded journalists.”
In a nation still recovering from years of conflict and currently navigating a fragile peace, reliable access to information is crucial, especially as it inches toward a long-awaited electoral process, yet journalists in South Sudan are being forced to operate in a vacuum.
In an exclusive interview with King Media on Monday, Patrick stressed that journalists face numerous barriers, including censorship, internet restrictions, government silence, and even direct intimidation from security forces.
“Lack of access means you can’t investigate, you cannot. If documents are hidden from you, statements are not given to you, and whatever you get, you cannot verify it against any documents. Because when you get information from people, you need to verify against some documents, some statements from the officials, and so on,” Patrick stated.
He added, “And once these things are not there, you are grounded as a journalist. This is the word I can use: you are grounded. You have very limited ground upon which to operate. You only talk about what the government has said, they say this, they say this, but you can’t investigate anything.”
He recounted a recent example from just a week earlier when journalists were barred from interviewing traditional chiefs during a public event.
“Some security guys just said, no, you can’t do the interview. Why? No explanation. So, once you don’t have access to those key interviews, there’s no investigation you can do,” he said.
The result, Patrick said, is a media environment confined to echoing official government statements, unable to challenge or verify them.
“You only talk about what the government has said this, they say this, they say this, but you can’t investigate anything,” he stressed.
South Sudan’s media challenges are reflected in its dismal global rankings.
In the 2024 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), South Sudan ranked 145 out of 180 countries, placing it among the most difficult places in the world to practice journalism.
Over the past ten years, South Sudan has consistently appeared in the bottom 25 of the index, citing dangers such as arbitrary detention, harassment, censorship, and lack of legal protections for journalists.
These rankings reflect a persistent pattern of threats to press freedom, especially in conflict and post-conflict settings.
With the upcoming constitutional review and national elections, the stakes are higher than ever. Without access to accurate and diverse information, the public cannot meaningfully engage in the democratic process.
Recognizing the severity of the issue, the Union of Journalists of South Sudan is spearheading a grassroots campaign across the country, advocating for media access and transparency.
Patrick noted that the union is actively engaging media houses and government authorities in various states to open up space for reporters.
“These efforts are vital to ensure that South Sudan’s population is properly informed about key political processes,” he stated.
Despite the challenges that are mounting, the union’s president remains cautiously optimistic that continued dialogue and pressure will eventually improve the situation, not just for journalists, but for the democratic future of the nation.