(SV)

Perhaps, the main motive of the media symposium conducted by the Sudanese journalists society in the Saudi Arabia is to find clear national grounds and an agreed upon rules to govern the media performance for the benefits of the whole country not specific party or group.

The symposium, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last February, was addressed by a number of Sudanese media experts. During their speeches at the symposium, they said that the current media campaign is against the whole country not the government.

Dr. Salah Mohi Eddin set an example for this hostile media campaign saying that a UK female worker in one of the humanitarian organization said in a thorough study on the situations in Darfur that what is circulated in international mass media is inflated.

Osman Abu-zaid has meanwhile stressed the importance of giving mass media a wide opportunity, and called on journalists to adopt responsibility and objectivity and refrain from seeking personal gains.
The participants concluded that the election process is strategic project with effective impacts on the history of the country . Thus, mass media should adopt accuracy and objectivity.

Of course, the speeches were lengthy, but what we value most is the call for effective role of media in the coming elections in terms of developing awareness among voters about the electoral process or tackling the national issues in  neutral, balanced and objective manner.

Perhaps this gets us into a modern negative models that are still exist in Sudan such as the lack of professionalism in some media practice. A newspaper known for its loyalty to a famous movement has written headlines inciting the implementation of the International Criminal Court warrant of arrest against Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir.

The said inciting and its timing confirmed that the newspaper was deliberately aiming to get political gains in the coming elections. the call for implementation of the ICC warrant against President Al-bashir contradicts the consensus of the Sudanese people not to cooperate with the ICC, which is known for its partiality.

Such practice by some mass media requires that mass media should live up to their national responsibility in this important stage in Sudan's history.