Information minister Peya Mushelenga said his ministry would review the government’s social media use policy in order to stem the tide of fake news and misleading information.

 Speaking in parliament yesterday, Mushelenga said the ministry is in the process of formulating a Crisis Communication Plan to guide government and maintain consistency as well as uniformity, especially in times of emergencies. 
“We have noted that social media in this country and the world alike has served as a channel for information dissemination, though compromised with speculation, false and misleading information on Covid-19,” Mushelenga said while motivating his ministry’s N$526 million budget in the National Assembly. He said the Covid-19 Communication Centre in Windhoek served as a platform for the public and the media to get first-hand information on the virulent pandemic.  “I applaud our media houses both public and private for having done a great job,” he said. “I appeal to our media to continue with their good work of information dissemination on Covid-19, reporting along the ethical principles of journalism, like accuracy, transparency, objectivity, fairness and impartiality.” 

Breaking down his ministry’s budget allocation, Mushelenga said from the N$526 million, N$10 million will be allocated to the New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC), whereas the Southern Times newspaper will receive an amount of N$5 million. Similarly, he said, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) will receive N$ 338 million, while the Namibia Press Agency will receive N$20 million. 
Mushelenga said a further N$3 million is earmarked for Namibia Film Development Fund under Namibia Film Commission (NFC). “As part of its mandate to market the country as a preferred film destination to investors and develop the local film industry, NFC will continue to take its film content to Africa and beyond.” He noted Namibia’s participation in world festivals and expos is crucial in attracting much-needed foreign direct investment. 
Therefore, the collaboration with the rest of the world will continue in areas of training, skills exchange and co-production.
– ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na