‘Mantšali Phakoana
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Lesotho expressed solidarity with journalists, media professionals and all those who support freedom of expression, as the World marked Press Freedom Day last Friday.
This year’s theme is: ‘A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the Environmental Crisis’, dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis.
Lesotho marked the day under a local theme: ‘Supporting local initiatives for building viability, resilience and sustainability of the media.’
In a statement released in commemoration of the day, MISA national director Lekhetho Ntsukunyane noted that this year’s focus is on the assessment of the media sector, regarding its cardinal role of being ‘a watchdog within society,’ a role which is found to be on a downward trend due to many challenges facing this grand sector of society.
The challenges that Ntsukunyane mentioned include the prevalence of the ‘information disorder’, disinformation, misinformation on the digital spaces and media capture, which diminish the power and influence bestowed on the media to hold the powers-that-be accountable.
“Media freedom is affected when the media is financially nonviable and unsustainable as that dwarfs its ability to tell truth to power without fear or favour.
“It becomes ill-prepared to remain a powerful weapon that can save societies from many societal scourges such as the surging climate change, information disorder and the rampant corruption and public malfeasance. Who can trust a weak.
“With all these deficiencies, the media is unable to fight the scourge of climate change and the threat to environmental sustainability. We celebrate the bravery and devotion of those who report facts despite adversity and confirm our pledge to safeguard and promote press freedoms,” Ntsukunyane noted.
Ntsukunyane noted, among others, that the initiation of legal proceedings against Lesotho Tribune by Mergence Lesotho, and the threat of a lawsuit against Newsday by Tholo Energy, underscored a matter of grave significance to MISA Lesotho.
According to the 2023 world press freedom index, Lesotho is ranked 88th out of 180 countries whose levels of press freedom are studied and compared by the France based Reporters Without Borders. The index is published annually during the WPFD, which means the 2024 press freedom index will be published later today.
World Press Freedom Day acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
