Minister lays into the media on Press Day

AS the world commemorated the bloodiest year ever for journalists across the globe, the Namibian media received a stern warning from Information Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah not to “abuse” the power they have been granted by the Constitution.

At a World Press Freedom Day ceremony at Swakopmund on Thursday, where tribute was paid to the 150 media practitioners killed around the world last year, the Minister gave the local media a tongue lashing. She alleged that they fuelled antagonism between opposing parties and were a destructive force in society.”When will I see an objective media in this country? When will you put your house in order and stop reporting with bias? Information is power.If power is used positively it benefits all.The abuse of power is detrimental [to society],” the Minister claimed.”I want the media to be very careful in choosing how to use your power.Don’t abuse it.You must read and understand the provision for press freedom in the Constitution from beginning to end.”Referring to the abrupt discontinuance last week of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation’s Chat Show radio call-in programme, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the NBC had made the right decision and it should be supported.She accused journalists of being amongst those who abused the airwaves by launching defamatory attacks on public figures and by doing so contributing to the demise of the show.Nandi-Ndaitwah complained that the Namibian media lacked a culture of investigation and said it should be a core element of media training.A culture of reading was also amiss in Namibia, she said.The Minister also blamed the media for this.”If the media don’t report on interesting articles, a reading culture won’t develop.Articles should be attractive for young and old.”Rural coverage was not up to scratch either, according to the Minister.”It is high time we give people at grassroots level appropriate coverage.Why can’t you get on your bicycles and go get the information in rural areas? Go in, get the information and bring it to light.News from the villages is always placed in obscure corners of the newspapers.It lacks depth and readers can’t get the message.It widens the information gap between urban and rural communities,” she said.The media were an indispensable part of democracy and made a significant contribution to achieving the goals of Vision 2030, the Minister said.”Sometimes we take the media for granted.I’ve seen on occasion how our journalists are restricted from doing their job by security personnel while everyone wants to read that news and see the photos in the paper tomorrow.A world without journalists would be a total information blackout.We need to create a synergy between the media and the Government.Your work is appreciated, but it should be objective and factually correct.”Although no journalists were killed in the line of duty in Namibia last year, the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, ‘Protect the Journalists’, is relevant in the country, said Christof Maletsky, Chairperson of Misa Namibia.Despite positive growth, 2006 had also seen some turmoil in the Namibian media industry.”This past year we have seen some layoffs in the industry, some curtailment of trips for journalists to do proper stories, interference in their work, verbal attacks on the media and legal steps against some of the media houses,” Maletsky said.Although the Namibian media were not ruled with an iron fist by Government as in some other SADC countries, “journalists continue to be caught in the middle of local political standoffs,” said Maletsky.”This week …we have witnessed the unfortunate situation in which the voices of the masses went silent for one hour…”he said of the NBC ‘Chat Show’ debacle.”A total blackout.Is it censorship or broadcaster responsibility? At Misa Namibia we feel it is an effort to stifle the country’s fledgling, yet vocal, media.Journalists cannot and must not suffer the consequences of simmering hostilities in local politics.”Namibia’s status as one of the strongholds of a free press in Africa was blemished, said Maletsky.” (T)he ban on The Namibian newspaper is a step backwards for press freedom in the country.”Addressing the Minister, he said: “Until that ban has been lifted, Namibia’s record relating to media freedom will have a black mark against it.As Misa Namibia, we once again call on President Pohamba’s Cabinet to lift the ban on buying or advertising in The Namibian.”The media acted as the eyes, ears and voices of the public – in some countries the only voice – against corruption, malpractice and maladministration.”They go places where nobody wants them to be and ask questions that nobody else dares to ask.This group of brave people need to be honoured for their courage, commitment and hard work.Misa Namibia salutes them,” Maletsky said.World Press Freedom Day, commemorated on May 3 each year, was declared by the United Nations in Windhoek 16 years ago – two years after the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media.In his annual address to the world media, Unesco Director General Koichiro Matsuura said after a decade in which harassment, attacks and murders of journalists have escalated, 2006 was the bloodiest year ever.He said the reigning culture of impunity regarding violence against the media has led to a new UN resolution on journalists’ protection.By Unesco definition, World Press Freedom Day is the day to encourage initiatives in favour of the freedom of the press, assess the state of press freedom, remind governments to respect their commitments to press freedom and increase awareness of its importance.She alleged that they fuelled antagonism between opposing parties and were a destructive force in society.”When will I see an objective media in this country? When will you put your house in order and stop reporting with bias? Information is power.If power is used positively it benefits all.The abuse of power is detrimental [to society],” the Minister claimed.”I want the media to be very careful in choosing how to use your power.Don’t abuse it.You must read and understand the provision for press freedom in the Constitution from beginning to end.”Referring to the abrupt discontinuance last week of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation’s Chat Show radio call-in programme, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the NBC had made the right decision and it should be supported.She accused journalists of being amongst those who abused the airwaves by launching defamatory attacks on public figures and by doing so contributing to the demise of the show.Nandi-Ndaitwah complained that the Namibian media lacked a culture of investigation and said it should be a core element of media training.A culture of reading was also amiss in Namibia, she said.The Minister also blamed the media for this.”If the media don’t report on interesting articles, a reading culture won’t develop.Articles should be attractive for young and old.”Rural coverage was not up to scratch either, according to the Minister.”It is high time we give people at grassroots level appropriate coverage.Why can’t you get on your bicycles and go get the information in rural areas? Go in, get the information and bring it to light.News from the villages is always placed in obscure corners of the newspapers.It lacks depth and readers can’t get the message.It widens the information gap between urban and rural communities,” she said.The media were an indispensable part of democracy and made a significant contribution to achieving the goals of Vision 2030, the Minister said.”Sometimes we take the media for granted.I’ve seen on occasion how our journalists are restricted from doing their job by security personnel while everyone wants to read that news and see the photos in the paper tomorrow.A world without journalists would be a total information blackout.We need to create a synergy between the media and the Government.Your work is appreciated, but it should be objective and factually correct.”Although no journalists were killed in the line of duty in Namibia last year, the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, ‘Protect the Journ
alists’, is relevant in the country, said Christof Maletsky, Chairperson of Misa Namibia.Despite positive growth, 2006 had also seen some turmoil in the Namibian media industry.”This past year we have seen some layoffs in the industry, some curtailment of trips for journalists to do proper stories, interference in their work, verbal attacks on the media and legal steps against some of the media houses,” Maletsky said.Although the Namibian media were not ruled with an iron fist by Government as in some other SADC countries, “journalists continue to be caught in the middle of local political standoffs,” said Maletsky.”This week …we have witnessed the unfortunate situation in which the voices of the masses went silent for one hour…”he said of the NBC ‘Chat Show’ debacle.”A total blackout.Is it censorship or broadcaster responsibility? At Misa Namibia we feel it is an effort to stifle the country’s fledgling, yet vocal, media.Journalists cannot and must not suffer the consequences of simmering hostilities in local politics.”Namibia’s status as one of the strongholds of a free press in Africa was blemished, said Maletsky.” (T)he ban on The Namibian newspaper is a step backwards for press freedom in the country.”Addressing the Minister, he said: “Until that ban has been lifted, Namibia’s record relating to media freedom will have a black mark against it.As Misa Namibia, we once again call on President Pohamba’s Cabinet to lift the ban on buying or advertising in The Namibian.”The media acted as the eyes, ears and voices of the public – in some countries the only voice – against corruption, malpractice and maladministration.”They go places where nobody wants them to be and ask questions that nobody else dares to ask.This group of brave people need to be honoured for their courage, commitment and hard work.Misa Namibia salutes them,” Maletsky said.World Press Freedom Day, commemorated on May 3 each year, was declared by the United Nations in Windhoek 16 years ago – two years after the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media.In his annual address to the world media, Unesco Director General Koichiro Matsuura said after a decade in which harassment, attacks and murders of journalists have escalated, 2006 was the bloodiest year ever.He said the reigning culture of impunity regarding violence against the media has led to a new UN resolution on journalists’ protection.By Unesco definition, World Press Freedom Day is the day to encourage initiatives in favour of the freedom of the press, assess the state of press freedom, remind governments to respect their commitments to press freedom and increase awareness of its importance.