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Media in Somalia
- 1. Media in Somalia By Ria Shukla B.A. (Hons) International Journalism
- 2. Somalia Profile Population: 9.8 million (UN, 2012) Capital: Mogadishu Major languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, English Major religion: Islam Life expectancy : 50 years (men), 53 years (women) Monetary unit: 1 Somali shilling = 100 cents http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094546 - Facts
- 3. Short Intro to Somalia’s history Somalia is a country in Africa The history of Somalia as a country has fragmented ever since, mainly into three regions; South Central Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland. South Central Somalia in particular descended into lawlessness and warfare In 1969, Political freedoms vanished and with them independent journalism. By 1990 – Local government collapsed. The UN and United States sought to restructure local services But without a convincing military presence it was difficult to sustain. UNSOM -2 was mandated to created the peace necessary to help reconstruct the country, but the missions ended with the UN’s withdrawal. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Somalia-LOCAL- GOVERNMENT.html#ixzz3KgLltUqC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa- 14094503
- 5. Freedom House 2014 SCORES PRESS STATUS --------- Not Free PRESS FREEDOM SCORE (0 = BEST, 100 = WORST) 82 LEGAL ENVIRONMENT (0 = BEST, 30 = WORST) 26 POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT (0 = BEST, 40 = WORST) 34 ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT (0 = BEST, 30 = WORST) 22 www.Freedomhouse.org
- 6. Background Info on media As a June 2003 BBC report, “Somalia: Survey of the country’s media environment,” notes, the lack of a consolidated government has led to a dramatic rise in the number of media sources while simultaneously, journalists often face danger to their own lives from those who may disagree an wish to promote their own agenda or oppose the notion of a free press. Most Somali journalists operate in an environment of uncertainty. Additionally, the country’s legal system is fractured, with Shari’a (Islamic) and secular courts operating in some areas.
- 7. The media of Somalia -A force for moderation? “There are many battlegrounds in Somalia, but the media is one of the most constant. If media did not matter, the forces seeking to control the country would not expend such energy suppressing, intimidating or co- opting it.” http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/tru st/pdf/bbc_world_service_trust_pb4_englis h_web.pdf
- 8. Governance Without Government Without a central government since 1991 Political Trends 1. Failure of repeated external efforts to revive a conventional central government 2. Rise of local, informal polities that have increasingly provided many Somali communities with variable levels of governance, public security, and even social services. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Doc ument&id=3341
- 9. Al - Shabaab Somalia based militant Al Shabaab is al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia and operates primarily out of the country’s southern and central regions. The group is fighting an insurgency against the internationally recognized Somali Federal Government, which is based in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab has become adept at producing material that provides its Western followers with an alternative to mainstream media. Relying heavily on digital video and Twitter, the group projects an image of itself as an effective and united force carrying out the will of God by implementing Shariah and fighting the enemies of Islam. Twitter has allowed the group to do much of this in real time, offering supporters instant interpretations of events and rebuttals of critiques.
- 10. EXAMPLE- Safety of journalism in Somalia a major concern Aside from the various political disputes, faction fighting and demands for autonomy, all the acts of violence against journalists have one thing in common – impunity. There has been only one conviction in the 43 murders of journalists since 2009. The victim was Hassan Yusuf Absuge and his killer, a member of the Al-Shabaab Islamist militia, was summarily executed in August 2013, a sentence RWB had condemned at the time. Physical attacks against journalists are often the work of rebel groups such as Al- Shabaab, which is on the Reporters Without Borders list of “Predators of Press Freedom.” But the government is also guilty of abusing its authority with journalists, constantly ordering illegal closures of news outlets and carrying out arbitrary arrests. http://www.voanews.com/content/safety-of- journalists-a-major-concern-in- somalia/2540643.html
- 11. Life of Journalists Journalists being killed No pay to Journalists Female Journalists tend to suffer the worst working conditions and generally receive the lowest pay. “Al-Shabab killed many people just to give a lesson to the rest,” says journalist Faar Laman. “By killing someone, [it sends a message that] you will be next if you don’t accept what they are saying. So it is very simple, it is not influencing it is just giving direct orders, like don’t play music. It has really affected the practice of journalism in South and Central Somalia.”
- 12. Freedom Of Expression In Somaliland, publication of independent newspaper “Hubaal” was suspended following a court order, and the authorities subsequently jailed the paper’s manager and editor, raising concerns over freedom of the press. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/somalia- country-of-concern/somalia-country-of-concern
- 13. Media Sector
- 14. Challenges for the future “Training, training, training ... that’s what is lacking. You don’t only need basic training on being objective, but also need to give the journalists training that gives them an understanding of how the global media works.” 2 Principal problems facing Somali journalism – > Intimidation > Lack of capacity Lawless Country http://www.umb.no/statisk/noragric/publications/reports/noragri c_report_no._65cover.pdf
- 15. Reform Media in Somalia There have been efforts to reform the 2007 Media Law. A draft bill is due to go before Parliament in 2014. The UK has supported the development of this law by funding a consultation among exiled journalists in the UK, where many of Somalia’s largest broadcasters are headquartered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIw0f7gp-J4 (8 min video)
- 16. Somalia- A land of opportunity in the media sector
Editor's Notes
- -- Mogadishu bears the scars of decades of fighting
- Comprised of a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, Somalia was created in 1960 when the two territories merged. Since then its development has been slow. Relations with neighbor's have been soured by its territorial claims on Somali-inhabited areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. --Government system is a transitional parliamentary government --The chief of state is the Federal President, or Sheikh, and the head of government is the Prime Minister. The region remains lawless with no effective administration or institutions in place.
- In the absence of a central government, Somalia’s residents reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, consisting of civil law, religious law and customary law. A few autonomous regions, including the Somaliland, Puntland and Galmudug administrations, emerged in the north in the ensuing process of decentralization. radical groups such as Al-Shabaab, which battled the TFG and its AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) allies for contrFollowing the end of the TFG’s interim mandate the same month, the Federal Government of Somalia, the first permanent central government in the country since the start of the civil war, was also formed.
- The media environment in Somalia varies significantly from region to region, with different conditions in unstable south-central Somalia, semiautonomous Puntland in the northeast, and the breakaway territory of Somaliland in the northwest. The year 2012 was one of the deadliest on record for journalists in Somalia, with 12 killed across the country, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
- Somalia’s new provisional federal constitution, adopted by the National Constituent Assembly in August 2012, provides for freedoms of speech and of the press. However, due to pervasive violence across much of the country, journalists continue to face restrictions on their reporting in practice. There is no freedom of information law to guarantee access to public information, and defamation is a criminal offense, although many cases are resolved outside the formal court system, either according to xeer (customary law) or in Sharia (Islamic law) courts
- Media matters in Somalia. The society arguably ranks among the most media literate in Africa. Somali culture is individualistic, enterprising and deeply resistant to efforts to control it. This is seen forcefully in the astonishing courage and carnage characteristic of journalism in the country. Somalia is a country where power has over time been abused more constantly and with more disastrous effects than most. Media has been used and misused, often highly effectively, to manipulate, control and inflame tension, hate and conflict. This shows the medias role in shaping Somalia’s present and future. It seeks to be objective, and is based on research carried out by the BBC World Service Trust
- Somalia has been without a functional central government since 1991, making it the longest-running instance of complete state collapse in postcolonial history. Two political trends have emerged in Somalia since then. The first is the failure of repeated external efforts to revive a conventional central government in the country via a top-down process of power sharing among Somalia’s political elites. The second trend is the rise of local, informal polities that have increasingly provided many Somali communities with variable levels of governance, public security, and even social services. This development is being driven by the evolving role of coalitions of business groups, traditional authorities, and civic groups.
- Al – shabaab – means THE YOUTH in arabic It is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters. They are building a media empire and creating chaos in kenya
- In recent years, numerous journalists have been killed in Somalia, either for supporting the wrong political faction or as accidental casualties in armed clashes. Somalia remained one of the deadliest countries for journalists. Journalists in all regions of Somalia receive low or even no pay and rely on trainings, corruption, or blackmail for additional income. Many media outlets also prefer to hire cheaper, less-skilled workers or even relatives over more experienced journalists. Because there is an abundance of journalists, those who complain about low wages usually face threats of being replaced. “Al-Shabab killed many people just to give a lesson to the rest,” says journalist Faar Laman. “By killing someone, [it sends a message that] you will be next if you don’t accept what they are saying. So it is very simple, it is not influencing it is just giving direct orders, like don’t play music. It has really affected the practice of journalism in South and Central Somalia.”
- At least six journalists and media workers were killed this year, with continuing reports of further targeting and harassment.
- Journalism is in deep trouble in Somalia but there can be few countries where journalists have risked or resisted more in the face of appalling attacks. “I don’t think you’ll find a media anywhere that is more brave and resilient than the Somali media. “Many people fled but we still have a large number and some even say that they would rather die defending the freedom of Somali media ... I have great respect for the Somali media.” The fact is that brave journalists are continuing to fight to uphold the independence of their profession
- training, [particularly] on human rights, good governance, impartiality as well as advocacy training for journalists [is required],” Journalists [also] need to learn their rights because some of the media owners do not know the laws of media and some of the journalists don’t know the ethics of journalism” The two principal problems facing Somali journalism – intimidation and lack of capacity As over the years many of the journalists have fled over and left working in this profession or the others have been killed. In the southern somalia the journalists working are mostly new and are just joining the media. his country changed [in 1991] from being one of the most repressive regimes in the world to one of the most lawless... the media has [reflected that] to becoming one of the most chaotic in the world, Web sites are by nature rather ephemeral media, quickly created and quickly taken down. Without the stabilizing effect of institutional repositories, there is always the danger that this Somali history and context could vanish. • Although there have been efforts to professionalize the journalists and the ethical outlook of the owners and editors of the Somali media, there is clearly much work to do and capacity building is an important part of the investment in the development of a stable civil society within Somalia.