Somali journalists spoke candidly about the state of media freedoms in the country and the recently passed media law yesterday during a discussion hosted by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) to commemorate World Press Freedom Day.

The journalists who represented both independent and state-owned media said they continue to face obstacles in accessing information, low salaries and a lack of security that has led to the deaths of some of their colleagues.

In a roundtable discussion moderated by UNSOM spokesperson Joseph Contreras, the journalists spoke of the many challenges they face in their day-to-day work.
Leila Osman of the government-owned Somalia National Television (SNTV) and Radio Mogadishu said most journalists work in a hostile environment that has forced some to flee the country.

“But in the last 12 months the number of those injured or killed has been reduced, although the threat is still there”, she added.

Al Jazeera TV producer Mohamed Ahmed Abdullahi described the recently passed media law as a step in the right direction, but he said there was a need for the enactment of additional legislation to make it fully operational.

Abdullahi warned that some of the ambiguities in the law made it difficult for journalists to know what are the legal restrictions on print and broadcast news coverage.

The Al Jazeera producer said that as the country heads into an electoral process later this year that will choose a new federal parliament, journalists would face an added risk of being accused by politicians of biased reporting.

Ismail Sheikh Khalif from Star FM concurred, adding that the government’s unwillingness to share information with journalists makes it more difficult for the news media to deliver fair and balanced coverage.

Natalie de Oliveira of the UNSOM Human Rights and Protection Group cited threats from security services and terrorist attacks mounted by Al Shabaab militants as some of the challenges facing journalists in Somalia.

Oliveira said the threats included limitations on freedom of expression and cited recent events in Somaliland “where many media houses or journalists are regularly arrested or suspended for different reasons and criminal law used to restrain the freedom of expression.”

Somalia is regarded by the Committee to Protect Journalists as one of the most dangerous places to work as a journalist.

The theme for this year’s World Press Freedom Day is ‘Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms - This Is Your Right!’ It focuses on three aspects of press freedom: freedom of information as a fundamental freedom and as a human right; protecting press freedom from censorship and surveillance overreach; and ensuring safety for journalism online and offline. World Press Freedom Day is celebrated each year on May 3.