Information Minister Isaac Mursal Timon sat with participants during the AMDISS workshop in Yambio. | Photo: AMDISS Facebook page|
By Mbakumba Morris—Guest reporter
The Minister of Information and Communication in Western Equatoria State, Isaac Mursal Timon, who is also the state government’s spokesperson, dismissed the media report that the state government diverted 130 million US dollars meant for service delivery to buying 13 vehicles.
Speaking at a workshop organized in Yambio on 28 May, Minister Mursal Timon criticized journalists for reporting and circulating fake news that could tarnish the image of the state government and cause unrest in the state.
He advised the journalists to be ethical and avoid reporting the unverified information shared by the rumor mongers who were motivated by personal and political agendas.
“In the past, a reporter reported to a newspaper that the government of Western Equatoria State spent 130 million US dollars on 13 cars,” Mursal Timon said. “This was misleading information published to tarnish the image of the state authority. Such reporting should not continue after this training,” he asserted.
This came after the local newspaper late last year reported a story alleging that the government of Western Equatoria State used at least $132 million to buy cars for the state officials, a claim that triggered a public outcry and anger.
Minister Mursal urged the journalists to be attentive during the training workshop to learn how to report verified information to avoid causing social damage and unrest in the state.
“I would like to urge you to pay attention to the experts in the hall. You should learn the ethical way of reporting the news without causing damage. Avoid rumors and misquoting your officials. Stop fabricating false information against the government,” Mursal said.
“It is because of the peaceful leadership of the state under His Excellency Lt. Gen. Alfred Futuyo Karaba, the governor, that is why none of the journalists has been arrested or investigated,” he added.
He appealed to the reporters to report the facts but not rumors and false information that have the potential to destroy the state. “The journalists must report accurate information in this critical period of election and multiparty system. The reporters must be ethical in their work and refrain from disseminating inaccurate information for the sake of having a peaceful and prosperous state,” he added.
Minister Mursal called on the development partners and AMDISS to continue equipping the journalists with the knowledge and skills necessary for their practice.
“I am urging AMDISS to organize another workshop for journalists in all the counties of Western Equatoria State to address the issues of lack of knowledge of the media ethics and code of conduct of journalism. The training should not concentrate on Yambio but such training should be piloted to other counties of the states for journalists and security agencies to know their roles and how the two institutions could cooperate,” he emphasized.
Golden Times | South Sudan
