Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has stated that the media should make good use of press freedom in the Maldives and pay special attention to responsible journalism. He made the remarks while speaking at a conference organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the role of journalists in holding local councils accountable.
Speaking at the conference, Minister Imran spoke about the importance of press freedom and responsible journalism. He said that journalists have the most important responsibility of holding every institution and the entire state accountable.
Additionally, Minister Imran said that responsible journalism in providing true information to the public is essential and a huge responsibility of every media outlet. He said that it is important for journalists to play a greater role in making local councils accountable following the changes brought by the government to decentralise the administrative areas of the country. Therefore, he said that journalists play an important role in shaping the development carried out by the councils and note the wrongs in the public
In conclusion, Minister Imran said that the government has given the freedom to criticise and express opinions at a level that has not been seen in the Maldives in the past 17 years. As such, he said that responsible journalism with the freedom given to journalists to hold the government accountable will have positive results for the entire society.