The Internet is a good thing for African media. Despite the restrictions of local press reporting in the region, upstart news website al-Tareeq has paved the way for other Sudanese journalists to do their jobs without the hovering eye of the state government.
African politics professor Harry Verhoeven at Oxford University said by phone to Bloomberg from London on April 24 that initially taboo issues like Sudanese police brutality and the use of corporal punishment by the state are now more open to discussion because of online media. He added, "(The Internet has) made possible a degree of discussion that was not really imaginable 10 years ago in a country like Sudan."
Al-Tareeq, which means ‘the Way' in Arabic, reported the death of Abbaker Musa at a University of Khartoum protest. As Sudanese newspapers carried a statement saying that local authorities have used tear gas to disperse the crowd, al-Tareeq dispelled the reports and said that according to eyewitness accounts, the police have fired live ammunition at otherwise peaceful demonstrators. Al-Tareeq lso reported the condemnation of the crackdown in Khartoum by London-based Amnesty International.
Al-Tareeq's reporting, which now amassed 47,000 views since its debut in January, has caused President Umar al-Bashir in April to pledge on loosening press restrictions in the country. Al-Bashir's pledge in April reportedly followed new curbs on on reporting and a series of newspaper confiscations, Bloomberg said. Reporters Without Borders have ranked Sudan as one of the worst ten countries in the world for press intimidation.
On the subject of suspending newspapers and questioning of reporters, Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman said the measures are legal and do not violate press freedoms.
he said over the phone on June 4, "Sudan has over 20 political papers, if one is suspended, that doesn't mean that freedom of speech is under threat. If a newspaper breaks the law, it must be held accountable. Some papers spread false news, others instigate crimes and immoral acts that cannot be allowed. It's our duty to maintain order and protect high values."
