ministers and policy makers to only work with media houses that are known to the public whenever they want to share information or give an official statement.

The chairperson of the SVJ, Naomi Hoever, told Times of Suriname, that a representative of an armed organization recently indicated that he had given an interview to a news agency that she has never heard of. “I have never heard of it. They have never posted any news articles. I have never seen one of their journalists in the field. I told the representative not to talk to everybody. Not everybody actually works for the media. Not everybody who shows up is a journalist,” said Hoever who added that it is important to know who runs a news agency.

Transparancy, recognizability and responsibility form the basis of good and reliable journalism. Media houses that operate without a face or visible responsibility harm the trust in the flow of information and the public debate.

“The SVJ stands for responsible, professional and ethical journalism. That means that the journalists must be recognizable and that there must be a clear responsibility for everything that is published. The journalistic values must be met. We call on all of the agencies involved to stick to the healthy, transparent and reliable media sector in Suriname. The SVJ stands for free, honest and responsible journalism,” said the chairperson of the SVJ.