Document details

Media&Makers: Juba 2012 Open Knowledge and Sustainable Media Forum

Berlin: Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) (2013), 26 pp.
"The conference, held in Mid-December, was funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and UNESCO South Sudan. It consisted of two streams. One focussed on media and sustainability, the other on open data and open knowledge models. Rather than just holding lectures, the event saw working groups come together to discuss both themes. Three days of debate and discussion were attended by around 70 people from all over South Sudan, including senior editors and young journalists, representatives from civil society organisations as well as government officials and members of parliament, diplomats and experts. This paper documents the theme of media and sustainability. The following six chapters summarize the lively discussions between international guests – mostly Africans who presented innovative solutions from Africa, for Africa – and the local participants. The results of those discussions may contribute to creating a more sustainable media sector in the newest nation of the world. Truly independent media may be a long way off in South Sudan, but a more diverse multi-dependency seems an achievable goal in the foreseeable future. After all, nascent South Sudan still has the chance to avoid the mistakes that have damaged the plurality of expression in more developed countries. The attendees demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to overcoming those challenges." (Dear reader, page 3)
The media landscape in South Sudan today / Anke Fiedler, 4
Media financing and economic sustainability in South Sudan / Thomas Koch and Julian Kücklich, 7
The challenges facing South Sudanese and Sudanese journalists / Jess Smee, 10
The role of digital media in South Sudan / Julian Kücklich, 15
Access to information and media ethics in South Sudan / Julian Kücklich, 17
Open knowledge and sustainable media in South Sudan / Julian Kücklich, 21