Journalists are not state enemies

Editor, Not so many days a go, a well known Somalia radio journalist and human rights activist Farhan James Abdulle was murdered.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Editor,Not so many days a go, a well known Somalia radio journalist and human rights activist Farhan James Abdulle was murdered. The irony, like many media outlets pointed out, is that he was killed just days after the World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3.I think what governments ought to know is that journalists owe their primary allegiance to the public, who need to know what is happening in society.The greatest asset for journalists is their integrity and truth. But some people will want to harass them because they don’t want the truth to be told.It is important that we support journalists to do their work properly. Where they go wrong, we can correct them without confrontation.It’s obvious that Abdulle’s death will instill more fear among journalists in Africa, who are always a major target in war-tone areas like Somalia. Many journalists, the world over, have paid the ultimate price for the profession. The death of Abdulle must not discourage his colleagues from telling the truth and calling for creating sanity in their society.Innocent BahiziKigali