The media consists of communicative media in the form of eg newspapers, magazines, he Internet, radio, television and cinema that reaches out to a large
audience and have great impact on our everyday lives.
Why is it so important that the media can write whatever they want? So important that the law is even constitutionally protected? The reason is that one of the most important things in a democracy is freedom of information. Dictators and totalitarian regimes do not want the free dissemination of information, as it reduces their power and control.
By.Xiis Muuse Cartan
A specific task of the media is to examine those in power. For this reason, the media sometimes called fourth estate. The first power in Somaliland is the government and the second power is the parliament.
Freedom of the Press
The basic rule for publication and freedom of expression is that everything must be said and everything gets written. The law contains a few exceptions. For example, it is prohibited to publish such classified as hate speech, or anything that may jeopardize the country’s security, such as publishing secret CID documents. One should not defame a person, for example by designating it as criminal.
Some cornerstones of the legislation is the freedom of communication, announces the protection and research ban, prohibition of censorship, secrecy and open government.
Freedom of communication means everyone who lives in Somaliland may submit information in any subject for publication in a newspaper or magazine. You therefore have the right to talk to the media about anything.
Notifies protection and research ban means that the media sources – individuals or documents that provide the basis for articles – not to be disclosed, nor researched by the authorities. No one may then ask questions about the information given.
To protect against abuse of the freedom of speech, all newspapers have a registered publisher. That is, he or she is responsible for everything in the newspaper. It is usually called sole responsibility.
Confidentiality means that the person or working on a paper and receiving a message is not allowed to tell who left the message. This applies to everyone, even the janitor who may have heard something in the copy room.
Prior Censorship of the press is from authorities strongly prohibited. Nobody, not even the Prime Minister can look through the news content and tell the newspaper what they can write and not.
The principle of public and allows citizens the right to audit authorities. You can read the politicians’ emails and see their receipts. The principle is there to protect citizens from politicians’ abuse of power. In practical terms, the principle of openness to all documents held by an agency is public and that all that live in the country get to read them. The principle is also great for journalists because it enables them to find important information.
Really all you can not be told. There you tell the school nurse is counted as medical records and such are secret by law to protect your privacy.
Press Ethics
That our media is free does not mean that they are free from liability. Instead of the law prohibiting the media to publish certain things are the ethical rules of publicity for the press, radio and TV. There are rules that Somaliland media organizations jointly developed. The purpose is to protect individuals from suffering associated with publishing and maintaining public confidence. The game rules are not mandatory but a voluntary agreement by the media themselves made about responsibility, ethics of the press, radio and television.
Newspapers can be folded for ethical transgressions by the Press Ombudsman and the Press Council and the TV and Radio can be folded by the Review Board.
Source criticism – remember to review the reviewing
The journalist’s job is to examine and inform. For newspapers, it is important not to become a mouthpiece for politicians, civil servants and interest groups, but rather give a different perspective on a problem.
In order to assess news and evaluate a task’s reliability specifies media were retrieved information from. When you read the newspaper you probably rely on the journalists who wrote the article have checked his sources. They write, for example, “It said media researcher.
But the media does not offer any absolute truths from someone higher, unidentifiable source. As important as it is for journalists to take a critical view to sources, it is for you the reader to relate questioning before the information in the media. To distinguish between good and questionable information you can check the source credibility, reliability, reasonableness and references by considering the following questions:
Who is the sender? Is the newspaper or radio / TV news Own News? Do they have a correspondent on the spot or have they got the material of someone else? Is that one of the newspaper’s journalists who has written, or a freelancer?
Where are the pictures? Are they taken now or is it archival images? One example: After the events of 11 September 2001, when hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center in New York, showed Swedish television news Palestinians who romped and were happy. When a reporter went there and followed it up it turned out that the people filmed were excited for something completely different, and their joy had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks that do. The video clip was taken out of its proper context and used to “see” something that is not at all true. In retrospect defended them a news editor with the thought that it was true.
What choices have been made? You should conduct yourself critical of the selection of news made. Why have you chosen to publish this news do you think? Who is it that makes a statement – and not? Who speaks naturally affects how events are described. For example, imagine if a newspaper writes about the festival – and either just let young festival participants express themselves or just parents. There would be two completely different items, right? Imagine then the same thing about the newspaper writes about a scandal involving Prime Minister of Sweden and either just let people from the Prime Minister’s party speak – or just people from the opposition party.
Xiis Musse Cartan (cagaweyn6310@gmail.com)