The role of the media in the development of Timor-Leste
On Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012, the Secretary of State for Social Communication, Nelio Isaac Sarmento, participated, as a speaker, in the seminar "The V Constitutional Government's Perspective for the development of Mass Media in Timor-Leste", organized by the Media Department of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of the National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL).
The workshop aimed at disseminating information about the V Constitutional Government`s plan, from it's perspective for the media in Timor-Leste, and it's assurance of freedom of expression.
Nelio Isaac Sarmento said, "The Government and the media are partners, and it is up to the media to criticize the government and, in turn, guarantee freedom of expression. The Government on it's side, also has an obligation to share and disseminate information to the media, so that they may in turn disseminate it to the people. Thus, it is the Government's plan to cooperate with the media, ensuring access to the public, of information about the development process. "
"Considering the media's important role in the national development process, the Government will be promoting, both public and private support to this sector, in order to enhance their capabilities, by providing training and scholarships to journalists, as a way to motivate them to develop professional jobs at their institutions, "added the Secretary of State.
In the words of the UNTL Rector, Aurélio Guterres, "the Office of the Secretary of State for Social Communication, under the tutelage of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and according to what has been established, shall give an opportunity to the graduate students of the Department of Social Communication, to access internships or to do comparative studies at a national level. We hope that with this cooperation, the relationship between the UNTL and government institutions will be increasingly solid.
