Compiled by Catherine Sasman WINDHOEK – On July 11, 1991 New Era Publications Corporation was established with much pomp and ceremony to mark a new beginning in how news in the country would be reported on and distributed. Sylvester Black ‘New Era’ Managing Director “The first years of the existence of the newspaper were a completely different ball game since it was first a weekly and then a bi-weekly publication. The growth of the newspaper has been phenomenal since it became a daily. “Revenue growth has been in excess of 130 percent over the last one-and-a-half years, and it continues to grow exponentially. “I have a vision to see the New Era as the most significant English daily newspaper within the next three to five years. The feedback received from the public is that it is already the most significant English newspaper in terms of Namibian news coverage and analytical content. We would want to build and expand on that, and we have the strategy to move towards that objective.” Rajah Munamava Editor of ‘New Era’ since its inception “The 16 years was a bumpy road. When the idea was mooted to start a State-run newspaper I was doubtful about whether it would get off the ground and if it would last long knowing the difficult relationship between African governments and the media where the former calls the shots and decides what gets published or not. I was then working as a journalist at ‘The Namibian’ and doubted whether I should join something that could come to an end along the way. But Hidipo Hamutenya, the first Minister of Information and Broadcasting of independent Namibia, prodded me to consider the offer of joining the editorial team. He made me understand that the ‘New Era’ experience would be different from other examples in Africa. “I then got into the thick of things with former Minister Hamutenya and others. We recruited good journalists from the region such as Fred Mule and Williams Nkuruh, with Duncan Guy as the first news editor. We also assembled a good team of journalists locally. “Initially, ‘New Era was a good newspaper, and we disarmed our critics who were hostile to the notion of forming a government-sponsored newspaper. “The rest is history. Immediately after Hamutenya left the Information ministry, we started to experience internal and external politicking. New (Information) ministers felt the paper was not their baby, not their idea. We had to redefine and nurture relationships with all new players. This did not work, because some of these people were not media people. Hidipo (Hamutenya) appreciated the media as the former Secretary of Information in SWAPO. He had a broader understanding of how we could create a credible institution. The result was that our quality was compromised. We lost good reporters, and staff morale suffered along the way. “We battled disharmony, and crawled along until 2002/3 when people like Protasius Ndauendapo – a media person in his own right – came on board, and again we assembled a good team of journalists. “The journey was thus filled with highs, lows, and highs again, but we are again a good newspaper by Namibian standards. “I must give credit to our journalists. We have a cross-cultural and gender-balanced team that is smart and doing their job. I am proud to lead a team that is disciplined and committed. “The newspaper has a future in the country unless something drastic happens. It must be understood that it is simply a public media institution and not a government paper. “The newspaper continues to make inroads in the market and provides wide coverage on national issues. Reporters are beginning to break the chain of fear and report responsibly without fear or favour. “I anticipate that in five years the paper will be comfortably positioned. As the second-largest English daily, we give our competitors a good run in this marathon. We are in a comfortable position, and that says a lot for the future of the paper. “While there is room for improvement, we can say that we run good features and our political reporting is comparable with the best in the country. We do, however, need to do more in terms of investigative journalism; we must be focused, dig into issues and improve our rural coverage. There are limitations to our resources and personnel, but we must overcome this to report as widely as possible.” Albertina Monde ‘New Era’ employee since 1996 “I was seconded from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to work as an accountant at ‘New Era’ since 1996. If I could compare then and now, I must say that the paper has grown dramatically in terms of its readership and advertising. “When the newspaper became a daily in 2004, the public was happy and encouraged us to report objectively and not act as a government mouthpiece. “Although we have stiff competition, I think we will become the most preferred newspaper. Perhaps then MISA will take the newspaper more seriously. In the meantime, I would like to encourage the ‘New Era’ journalists not to be discouraged.” Hania Januirek-Ashipala First ‘New Era’ Production Manager “The reason why ‘New Era’ was formed was to contribute to the wider exercise of nation-building and, in so doing, to do more reflective viewing of what was happening, be it in photography, through features, hard news stories or more analytical pieces. “At the beginning, the biggest challenge was to put together a team of journalists and contributors up for the challenge. The newspaper was lucky enough then to draw expertise from very experienced journalists with real experience in development reporting. “Prior to the initial publication of the newspaper, therefore, young journalists were sent on an in-depth course, drawing on that kind of experience. It was an important exercise to create a breed of journalists and to set standards that the country had not been able to have before. “I remember the newspaper covering the 1991 Land Conference in the first issue. Coverage of the event was from all kinds of perspectives: we did news reporting and recording the outcomes of the conference, and were still able to step back to examine in accessible detail the prevalent issues, be they features on farm labourers who came to the conference, or picture-reporting that was sensitive when one considers the literacy deficit in the country at the time. That was necessary for people to feel included and be part of national issues. It was equally important for people to understand Namibia’s position in a rapidly changing regional set-up, and to give useful international news coverage. “The main intention at the formation of the newspaper was, therefore, not so much to compete with existing daily newspapers, but rather to complement and give a reflective view of events and report on news in a broader context, and introduce issues Namibia was confronted with at Independence and attempt at a balanced perspective. “It is my contention, however, that the newspaper has deviated from its initial purpose, while acknowledging the changing media and political landscape. I think the initial purpose got lost in the mix. “Since the paper has become a bi-weekly, and then a daily, it does not appear to be any different from the other newspapers. I think it has lost touch with its initial purpose of providing information with more background to an information-starved public. Now it faces the challenge of being just a daily rather than allowing time to reflect. “Having said that, I would like to congratulate ‘New Era’ on its 16th birthday!” Roy Klassen Manager: Sales and Marketing “I have seen a dramatic change in the newspaper since I joined a year-and-a-half ago. It has grown by leaps and bounds. The perception that ‘New Era’ – and this is not my personal view but that of the public – is a government mouthpiece, has gradually changed. “This perception has changed the marketability of the newspaper, which is to the advantage of ‘New Era’ as a business and medium of news. “The newspaper’s distribution has, for example, increased by 300 to 400 percent, and advertising has increased threefold. “From a personal point of view, I think ‘New Era’ is one of the major newspapers in the country; it can contend neck-on-neck with the top newspapers. “I am very proud of what ‘New Era’ has become over the last 16 years.” Kae Matundu-Tjaparuro Manager: Special Projects ” ‘New Era’ is a force to reckon with in terms of being a media player, and adds to media diversity in the country. In Namibia, one cannot just read a singular newspaper to be satisfied. ‘New Era’ thus has a definite market. It has a specific approach to news and has a place in the media sphere in the country. “Its future depends on a number of things such as New Era’s leadership, its editorial component and the media market. Every now and then a new publication sees the light of day, and this has an impact on any other publication on the market. “New Era should continuously improve, financially and editorially; its content must be improved upon. That would determine its viability and position in the market.” Rina Hulme and Ernst Appollus Distribution “The distribution figures of the newspaper have grown by 25 to 30 percent over the last year. Since the paper became a parastatal, it has grown tremendously.” Adam Tjiveta Distribution and employee since 1996 “When I started at the newspaper, the print-run was very low. This has changed in the meantime. Things are going very well with the newspaper at the moment. It is the only paper that is being distributed all over the country – in communal and commercial areas, everywhere.” Leonard Lukubwe Senior Marketing Officer “There is positive growth of the paper; it has become very competitive. The market outside can measure the strength thereof if it compares it with other newspapers. “In the near future I see the newspaper as the fastest-growing on the market. It serves rural areas more than other newspapers do.”