Government’s hostility towards the media has forced many independent media houses in South Sudan to embrace self- censorship as a tool for safety. The government in South Sudan controls the media and this threatens the independence of journalists and media houses. The iron hand from the security poisoned the working environment for journalists in the country, feeding the public on unbalanced news including stories on government policies, as William Dhieu, head of the Communication Studies department at the University of Juba explains.

A South Sudan media expert has blamed the increasing number of journalists leaving the profession to the heightened threats and attacks that media personnel face at work.William Dhiue, a Journalism Lecturer at the University of Juba, said that several journalists now prefer to join other sectors rather than continue to work as journalists.“The journalists have migrated to either government offices as public relations officers or they have taken up humanitarian jobs as communication officers.

A South Sudan media expert has warned that the media ownership structure in South Sudan poses a major threat to press freedom in the country. William Dhieu, a Journalism Lecturer at the University of Juba, said that media ownership in South Sudan is dominated by former or active ruling party, Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) members, who only toe party line views."The party or government member’s ownership of media makes them partisan and exclude other voices or opinions they do not agree with or support," D