Introduction

Since 1991, the power of the state to shape the media landscape has been practically non-existent. For much of the past quarter of a century the media has had no centralised regulation. Since 1991 many journalists wrote and published whatever stories they liked with no editorial or ethical oversights. Indeed, many journalists took sides in the conflict, often along clan lines, creating a fragmented and partisan media landscape. In 2002 the Transitional National Government (TNG) attempted to re-establish regulation over the media industry. In response to these efforts the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) was founded that year. Since then, Somali journalists have attempted to restore their bad reputation in the country. The 2012 constitution introduced a media law and recent changes have sought to bring regulation into the media landscape. But many Somali journalists have in recent years complained that media regulation attempts by the Somali government have curtailed the freedom of the press.