Elijah Alier, Managing Director of the Media Authority in South Sudan - courtesy

Media Authority has warned that unaccredited media houses and journalists will not be allowed to cover the upcoming elections next year.

Elijah Alier made the remarks during the ongoing training to prepare South Sudanese journalists for the upcoming elections.

Early this year, the media authority started the accreditation of South Sudanese and foreign journalists working for local and international media outlets.

The deadline for the accreditation was due in July.

According to the media regulatory body director, the institution wants to ensure people are not picked by their relatives and their colleagues on the assumption they are journalists.

Elijah Alier says the work should remain with the media. 

“All of you are aware that we are been embarking on the accreditation of journalists, this is to ensure those who are covering elections are credited journalists and registered media,” Elijah said.

“You will see campaigns left to right everywhere. Those who will be covering these elections should only be accredited journalists from recognized media,” he said.

“We don’t want people to pick their relatives and their colleagues and assume them to be journalists, no, and the work should remain with the media, all the registered media should the one be given opportunities.”

South Sudan has 230 registered media houses, but only 100 are functional across the country.

According to Media Authority Regulations on Accreditation of Journalists, 2018, journalists who shall qualify to be accredited include; all qualified national journalists, editors-in-chief, managing editors and copy Editors, freelance journalists, student journalists and trainees, foreign journalists, and cartoonists.