The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) said it will starting Tuesday block unaccredited journalists from covering parliamentary proceedings.
This follows a directive from Media Authority, the body tasked with overseeing media operations in the country.
Speaking after a parliamentary session on Monday, Oliver Mori Benjamin, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Information, said only journalists accredited by the Media Authority will be allowed to cover the House’s plenary.
He said parliament will implement the order issued by the Media Authority, starting Tuesday, 3 September 2024.
He underscored that all accredited journalists will be subjected to a verification process for authenticity at the gate to ensure that the details captured on the security code on their press cards match their particulars.
“We have been served with a letter from the authority that any journalist who is not accredited will not be allowed to cover sittings of the parliament and not only of the parliament but all the government institutions,” said Mori. “Any journalist coming to conduct an interview must have the accreditation ID from the Media Authority and we have been served with a copy of all the IDs of journalists in the Republic of south Sudan who have the accreditation card.”
He said they have received a list of 116 accredited journalists and urged all reporters going to parliament to produce their accreditation cards so that they can access the TNLA premises.
The accreditation aims to certify the recognition of working journalists and other qualified media practitioners.