Media & Makers: Juba [part 3]

For more information visit the ‘Media & Makers: Juba 2012’ website.In the run up of the ‘Media & Makers: Juba 2012’ conference, The Niles interviews different media practitioners, assessing the status quo of South Sudan’s media. ‘Media & Makers: Juba 2012’ is an attempt to chart the common ground between media businesses and the open source movement in South Sudan.

The three-day conference explores new solutions for the extraordinary challenges faced by the country, looks at new ways to make use of existing resources, and examines new means of participatory media production, innovation, and collaboration across all sectors of society.

Charlton Doki spoke with Manyang David Mayar:

Q: How do you like your job as a journalist?

I feel I am participating in nation building.”A: I Like it. Many people say journalism is passion but to me it is an outlet to speak out freely. By writing news stories I feel I am participating in nation building. And when I want to say anything I write a column. So I am free to say whatever I want to say in the news papers and that’s why I like journalism.

Q: Are you satisfied with your income as a reporter?

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A: I have been a reporter for almost six years now. I started with the Juba post in 2007 getting meagre pay for each article published and in 2008 they fixed an amount they called my salary. That is the amount I am still earning now. When I moved to VOA it is also payment per article (story). And all these years what I am getting is only enough to survive. It is what they call hand to mouth” survival. Sometimes I tell myself maybe it’s because I am not a graduate in journalism. I am now doing journalism at Juba University and after achieving that degree, after holding that degree, I will see how things will work out. If journalism is a poorly paid job as people say, I will quit.

Q: Apart from the meagre payment, what other challenges do you face?

Writers or journalists are not honoured.”A: This question makes me think about threats and the lack of honour. Writers or journalists are not honoured. When there is a function, politicians are sitting down, diplomats are sitting down and there is no extra chair so a journalist has to stand. You know things are not good for a journalist. But I like it as a way to express my views.

Q: If you could send a message to owners of media houses in South Sudan, what would you say?

If I was to sit down with them I would tell them to pay journalists very well.”A: Some of the media houses in South Sudan, particularly in Juba, are doing very well. For example The Citizen newspaper, which is now creating new media houses like Citizen TV. But if I was to sit down with them I would tell them to pay journalists very well. They are the people [walking] on the dusty roads, sweating. When other colleagues of theirs are driving they are walking for food. This is really not fair. If I was to say something to them, I would just say make sure your accounts are alive” and pay journalists very well.

Q: Is there anything else you want to say?

A: Let me say there are these people in town who are rich and investing their money wrong [for example] buying Hummers [large SUV] that will not be useful. The immediate challenge for newspapers in South Sudan particular is the lack of printers in the country. There is no printing press machine. People are printing from Uganda, Kenya or Sudan. And this is making it difficult for some us to create new media houses. So these guys in town should think properly about how to invest their money. Other than buying Hummers that can go of road any time, they should think about how to bring in printing press machines.