Friday, 12 October 2012
Somali Journalists
It's been a terrible year for Somali journalists. Fifteen of them have been murdered in 2012 so far – mostly victims of targeted killings. That makes Somalia one of the deadliest places to be a journalist. In all of these cases, the perpetrators have never been caught. While the murder of a journalist is always a heinous crime, corruption and clan loyalty can take Somali journalists on the wrong path. I'm not in any way suggesting they deserved to be killed, but abuse within the profession has led to the deaths of many. Corruption is part and parcel of the Somali media. Journalists don't normally ask themselves if a story is important or interesting. It is about how much money they can get from their sources to publish it. It's known locally as sharuur, and it's a form of bribery.
In my opinion, journalism in Somalia is becoming more and more dangerous judging on the story that I have researched. These murders have mostly taken place due to corruption within the journalism industry in Somalia and therefore suggests that Somali journalists are not being paid to publish the truth in some cases and this is important as Somalia needs to be aware of what goes on in the country that they live in.
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