President Nangolo Mbumba has reassured that the government will continue to uphold and promote press freedom as a responsible and indispensable part of the country’s governance architecture.
As the world commemorates World Press Freedom Day today, this year’s theme is ‘A Press for the Planet: Protecting Journalists and Scientists in Defence of the Environment’.
“On this day, we also remind journalists to live by the ethics of an important profession in the democratic life of our country. As a nation, we made this commitment in the Constitution out of our historical experiences, where the fundamental freedoms and rights of many Namibians were denied. The commitment of the government to press freedom is cherished, and we will continue to live by the law,” stated Mbumba.
He added: “Our climate is facing an emergency, with recurrent droughts and floods affecting millions of lives and causing destruction of infrastructure. Consistent with the World Press Freedom Day theme of 2024, I encourage journalists in the exercise of their right to educate and inform to advance the protection of the environment, including the prosperity and development of the Namibian people”.
Namibian Sun editor Toivo Ndjebela told New Era yesterday there are a lot of issues that need to be taken into consideration, including a look at the global perspective, continental ranking and the wellbeing of journalists.
“Globally, we have a crisis. Look at the situation in places like Gaza, where journalists are being butchered left, right and centre without any repercussions on anyone. There were journalists arrested last year in Botswana, an editor and his senior journalists – those are some of the pictures from a global perspective,” said the editor-in-chief of the Namibian Sun, a daily under the Namibia Media Holdings' stable.
Ndjebela added: “At home, the suspension of Johnathan Beukes, New Era’s managing editor last year, left a mark on press freedom in our country. He was not suspended for administrative issues; he was suspended for the work that he did as a journalist”.
He added that regarding the press freedom ranking, if Namibia were to go down, he would attribute a lower ranking to Beukes' suspension.
At the time of going to print, this year’s Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index was not yet revealed.
The vocal journalist admitted that apart from that suspension, Namibia has had a relatively okay year as far as the practice of journalism is concerned.
Ndjebela was hopeful of the changes and impact the official implementation of the Access to Information Bill would have on the craft.
“The talks on the establishment of the Information Commission office would now put into implementation all the necessities in the industry. Once that office is in place, we hope and pray that it will play a neural/professional role. The challenge here is that it seems to be a State agency per se, and what you want is an entity that is as neutral as possible, almost like the media ombudsman that we have right now. But I am not casting aspersions before things are put in place,” he stated.
Media ombudsman John Nakuta agrees with Ndjebela on the impact the suspension of Beukes could have and stated that what sets the country apart is that government has refrained from attempts to impose restrictions or censorship on media outlets and journalists.
He added that public bodies are exercising their powers in a way that does not hinder media operations, which further sets it apart.
Nakuta said: “It’s not as if we do not have problems or issues. Last year, we witnessed the suspension of the managing editor of the New Era newspaper, ostensibly for having penned a critical editorial under the heading, ‘No confidence in the secretive judiciary’. Having perused this editorial, I found nothing offensive or violative of the Code of Ethics and Code for the Namibian media. It appears though that the editorial irked some people, who opted not to complain with the office of the media ombudsman”.
The law expert noted the suspension of Beukes is problematic for several reasons, and he suspects it may affect Namibia’s ranking this year.
Nakuta said as far as challenges persist, on top of his list would be self-censorship, especially for journalists working for State-funded media houses.
“The quality reporting is another issue. So, too is the clear lack of research, sloppy and sensational journalism that far too often creep in. These are some of the internal threats or challenges to press freedom in Namibia,” stated Nakuta.
Veteran journalist Kae Matundu Tjiparuro said the quality of journalism has changed over the years because of the level of education received when compared to now.
He stated: “In those years, quite a few journalists were educated in one discipline or the other. Secondly, in terms of basic education, few were educated. This is unlike today. One other thing that distinguishes journalists of yesteryear is that they joined the profession because of passion. We were not doing it for money. We were doing this for the passion of the profession, and committed to changing society”.
“We have a role to play in being agents of change without being lapdogs of governments.
The government is there to make the working environment conducive – nothing else,” stated the retired journalist.
He attributes good governance to the ranking of the Namibia Press Freedom Index, adding that there is no need for the government to get a pat on the back.
“In all of these configurations, accolades and whatnot, you never hear the appreciation of journalists. It is always portrayed because of a good government. Is it not also because of good journalism by the media professionals?” he questioned.
The director of the Namibia Media Trust, Zoe Titus, told New Era the biggest challenge is financial viability in newsrooms.
“That requires that there is a broader understanding of the important role that the media plays in our society, and that public and private sectors come to realise that media is central to our democracy, and that fundamentally, press freedom is good for business and central to the health of democracy,” she stated.
Titus added that in the absence of this, the media will not survive, further appealing to stakeholders to support the media, especially during this election year.
“All Namibians need the media to perform at its peak, and that can only happen if the media is supported to do so.
The media is reporting diligently on issues of public concern, despite the challenges it faces,” highlighted Titus.
The media professional is a firm believer in media self-regulation and stands by it, as it is the best form of regulation for the media.
She added: “We need to closely look at the media code of conduct and update it and see if it is fit for purpose, particularly in the context of rapidly-growing technology”.
She said it is crucial for media houses to formulate and fully implement editorial policies that speak to changes in the sector.
-psiririka@nepc.com.na