By Neo Kolane
MISA Lesotho has appealed to all media proprietors, publishers, managers and editors, particularly to those in the private radio stations space, to keep a close eye on their ‘journalists’ and initiate disciplinary measures for misconduct of their reporters even outside the newsrooms.
MISA Lesotho says it is concerned over the growing rate of conduct by some journalists who actively meddle in the affairs of political parties under the guise they are doing their job as media practitioners.
These ‘pseudo-journalists’, MISA Lesotho observed, are either used by some political elites to propagate political party differences on social media, or are active politicians themselves masquerading as media professionals, abusing journalism as their channel into political recognition.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the national director of MISA Lesotho, Lekhetho Ntsukunyane said those journalists disregard and violate all ethical practices and conduct enshrined in journalism as they engage themselves in political party difference on social media, behaving much like foot soldiers for certain political elites.
“MISA-Lesotho notes with disappointment that this malpractice seems to be growing at a worrying rate specifically with pseudo-journalists at some private radio stations.
“The most saddening thing about these pseudo-journalists is that they tend to seek refuge at MISA Lesotho when they lose their personal political fights.
“They drag MISA Lesotho’s name into disrepute by using the institute as their umbrella in their personal political battles,” he stated.
