The practice of the media in the light of the media legislation in Sudan

Abstract

The article sheds light on the results of a study of the practice and content of legislative regulation of the media in the Republic of Sudan. Its goal is to identify and describe the main characteristics of the model of relations between the state and the media, to determine the level of freedom of journalists of Sudan, the prospects for the development of self-censorship of the Sudanese media sphere. The research method is descriptive and its tools, are content analysis of specific laws, acts and regulations in force for the period of the study and standard interviews with Sudanese media practitioners to allow the author to determine the concept of interaction and mutual influence of the legislative framework on the state of the media sphere of the Republic of Sudan. As a result of the study, the author concludes that the laws of the Sudanese media do not contain any of the concepts of «freedom of expression», «freedom of access to information». In the media prac- tice of Sudan, there is no such institution as the Ombudsman, an official responsible for communicating with the audience and media professionals in respect of human rights, principles of justice, settlement of complaints. The respondents of the interviews-journalists identified the low level of freedom of the media in Sudan and demonstrated a high level of self-censorship. The author also formulated fundamental recommendations for improving media legislation, which should take into account the new political realities and changes that have occurred in the country in 2018-2019. The study of the general practice of legislative regulation of the Republic of Sudan, presented by the author, is also of practical importance, based on which it is proposed to use a system for amend- ing the current legislation, the adoption of new laws guaranteeing real freedom of the media, the realization of the fundamental human right to freely receive and disseminate information. According to the author, the creation of favorable conditions for the unhindered expression of opinions and the receipt of relevant information is a necessary condition for the development of the socio-political sphere of Sudan. Key words: media legislation, freedom of speech, Sudan, self-censorship, human rights.